The Return
by cbstevp
Summary: Serenity and her crew meet an unexpected space disturbance and are taken to a place they never believed they would ever see.
1. Chapter 1

_This is a fanfic I wrote many years ago for Firefly but never finished it properly. So now I am working a bit on it again and decided to start uploading the first parts of it here so all my stories are on one website. The story takes place after the events on the TV show but before the movie events in "Serenity'. Hope you enjoy it._

**The Return – Chapter 1 **

Hoban Washburne had thought he had seen everything possible from the cockpit of spacecraft. Stars, planets and moons were old hat for him, asteroids something to be admired but avoided at all costs, comets best observed from a fair distance, and supernova from an extremely fair distance. Nothing as dramatic as a supernova had ever happened in their little quadrant of space, but with so much unknown about the 'verse in general, one never knew what could suddenly appear and in a blink of an eye you, your ship, and shipmates would be just a memory. More than one of Wash's classmates from pilot training had met such a fate. Small asteroids could breach a hull and in less than a minute all the air was gone and everyone turned blue and puffy faced. Solar flares mucked up the nav system and all comms, leaving you blind until repairs could be rendered or you drifted into something solid. Get too close to a star and you'd burn up or its gravity would suck you into its fiery maw. And these were just the things the verse threw at you.

Mechanical failings on any spacecraft were a might more serious than those on any planet side vehicle. You couldn't just pull over and get out and see what the matter was. Well, you could, but that meant spacesuits and a walk in the void to find the problem, which more than likely couldn't be fixed anyway. Air locks could and did fail, engines exploded, nav computers went haywire and sent you into a big fat moon, and a million and one other things could go wrong. And then there was the human, or, in the case of the Reavers, the not-so-human element to deal with. A crewman could go mad and sabotage the ship. Someone could just plain screw up and then they'd be adrift. Or you could have a cheap ass captain who scrimped and scrapped so much that every piece of gear in the boat was older than crew's age, combined. Not that Wash was thinking of any particular captain, but of late Kaylee had complained more about the engine than the fact that Simon wasn't taking the hints she threw at him every chance she got.

And all of that was without the Alliance chasing you cause you were harboring two refugees, or having other rogue bands trying to hump the illegal salvage you just took off a derelict, or even having to deal with so-called businessmen like Badger who just wanted to screw you out of your dishonest profit. Reavers topped the list of all those things and Serenity's near brushes with them had given the crew plenty of reason to pray they never tangled with them face to face. Wash wasn't the bravest man in the verse but even a tough lug like Jayne quailed at the thought of Reavers boarding Serenity.

No, nothing in his six years of flying had prepared Wash for what he now saw filling the bridge windows of Serenity. He was tired and rubbed his eyes, thinking he'd better make sure before he hit the warning button or called for Mal and Zoe. It was late, about 11pm ship's time, and they were on there way to Greenleaf, about two days out, carrying a load of well, weapons was the only way to put it. Illegal of course, twenty crates of rifles and pistols and machine guns and all kinds of other things that go bang and put holes in people. Mal hadn't wanted to take the job cause such cargo attracted more than the usual share of unwanted company and cause if they got caught it would be the death penalty for sure for all of them, no matter if they were just the pilot, mechanic, or even a teenage psychotic. But times were tough and when a job came Mal couldn't turn it down, no matter the risks involved.

It had been two weeks since Jubal Early had boarded Serenity and given them all a valuable lesson in vigilance. Simon's leg was healing finally and Kaylee and River seemed disappointed that they would no longer be nursing him. Being more than vigilant since then, Wash had stayed up later than usual to make sure all was well. He did a full sensor sweep and had doubled back on their course for ten minutes to make sure no one else was about. Zoe was already in bed and Wash had just been setting the nav computer for the night's course as Kaylee had gone to the engine room to set the power settings. He had already been thinking of laying in bliss in his woman's arms. And then he had seen it.

It was a cloudy, milky bluish white light, directly ahead of the ship and to Wash it seemed to have suddenly appeared. It filled the windows and its sudden shocking appearance froze his brain for an instant. He couldn't calculate how close it was but at Serenity's current speed it was too close. The proximity warning hadn't sounded so Wash wasn't sure if it wasn't close enough or the system didn't register it. In an instant as all these rambling thoughts went through his head he reacted like a pro, hit the emergency klaxon and at the same time swung Serenity to the right away from the milky cloud. And it followed him. One moment he had clear space and in the next instant it was directly in front of him again, and Wash couldn't tell if it had moved or if it had dragged Serenity back toward it. He turned left next and the same thing happened again. The klaxon reverberated through the ship and feared gripped Hoban Washburne as Serenity slid ever so inexorable toward the cloud.

Kaylee Frye was in the engine room, her favorite place on her favorite ship in the verse. At least it had been until very recently. Then that madman Early had boarded Serenity and threatened her sanity and her life in a few callous words. Kaylee couldn't shake the memory of him binding her hands and feet and putting her on the cold metal gratings on the floor. Helpless and terrified, she lay there, full of guilt for having told him where River was. But it had all worked out in the end and they were saved. Still, it was in her favorite room all had happened and just being here brought back the memories. She'd have to be here a lot cause this is what she did and did well, but it would take time to forget, if she ever did.

She tried to think on something good that had happened here and suddenly a feeling of pleasure crept into her nether regions as she thought on Bester, the former mechanic of Serenity. It was here they had made love and it had been marvelous. He was handsome and muscular, with powerful arms and deep thrusts that had made Kaylee squirm with ecstasy. He was good in the sack but was still a jerk. He couldn't even remember her name when Mal interrupted them and she had fixed the engine. In a small way she was glad she was the reason Bester got fired cause he sure was no gentleman. Not compared to the gentleman who was now on board Serenity.

And that was the problem with Simon; he was too much of a gentleman. If only she could take the brashness of Bester and merge it with the charm, education, politeness, caring, and goodness of Simon and she'd have the perfect man. Now that she thought on it the only thing Bester had going for him was his looks and brashness. On that day that had been enough but now she wanted more. Just Simon wasn't offering it. Yet. Oh, she knew he was attracted to her and they had had many close brushes with romance but something always got in the way, usually his stupid mouth or another crewman's poor timing. It would come, she was sure of it, and she would wait for him cause she knew deep in her heart that she loved him.

Kaylee felt better as she thought on Simon and her feelings for him and was just reaching for the power levers to set the speed for the night when with a jolt the ship shifted right in a steep turn and the klaxon echoed its blare throughout the ship. She lost her balance and with a small cry landed in her hammock. As she tried to get to her feet a suddenly left turn sent her tumbling the other way. She had just gotten to her feet when Wash screamed through the intercom.

"Kaylee! Emergency full engine stop! Full engine stop! NOW!"

Malcolm Reynolds sat at the table of Serenity's dining area, a cup of his favorite Chinese drink in his hand, the bottle not far away on the table. He slouched and was broody and was very un-captainy. His mind was on Inara and her plans to leave Serenity. He hadn't told the crew yet and it wasn't something he was looking forward to. Kaylee was gonna take it hard and maybe even River too but he'd be the last person to take a wager on what went through the teenaged mind reader's mind. Not even Doc Simon knew that. What his ship carried in its cargo hold also weighed on his mind and he knew it was suicidal to become an arms runner. Alliance might just toss him in a penal colony for a few years and take away his ship for hiding Simon and River, but gun running was a death penalty offense for all on board. Zoe had tried to talk him out of it and he almost let her, but without this cargo and the up front advance, they would never have had the fuel to leave that dusty backwater moon.

The job had come through Monty. His old war pal knew Mal was hurting and put him in touch with the gun runners. Monty trusted them to pay but wouldn't touch the cargo himself. He knew the leader and had done business with him before but not for guns. Mal, Jayne and Zoe had met them in a secluded forest and taken on the cargo in shuttle two and got the destination. In no uncertain terms the gang leader told Mal that if got caught and gave up their location, Monty would have his throat slit in his sleep. Mal had been threatened plenty of times and danger was an old friend but this one felt a little different. Guns for Greenleaf? Not his business and he had a rep of no questions asked but this time he had plenty which he kept to himself. Most likely for robbers and the like on Greenleaf and that meant the crime stats of that planet would go on the rise in the next few months.

Jayne had done a thorough examination of the cargo and certified about a third prime weaponry, a third fit for scaring folks out of their money and maybe a bit of hunting or target practice, at close range, but not much more, and a third pure junk that wasn't fit for hitting the side of a barn at twenty paces. Mal didn't care about the quality, just the numbers and told Jayne to make sure nothing went missing, both the good and bad stuff, before they hit Greenleaf. Jayne decided to spend his time on passage trying to get the junk into better shape and Shepherd Book had joined him. The preacher's continuing superior knowledge of weaponry was another eye opener for the crew but Jayne took it in stride and was glad to have someone lend a hand and keep him company.

Mal's mind drifted back to Inara and he couldn't decide what to do about her. He had feelings, strong feelings for sure for the lovely lady, but the complications of their situation were so convoluted that it frustrated him to no end. He had too many responsibilities to his ship and crew to get involved in something that could weaken him and Inara sure could do that. She always sent his head spinning and his heart pounding and he felt like a school boy on his first date when he was around her. It took all his lessons learned about leadership over the years to control his feelings and keep his nerve around her. Her barbs at his profession helped and their verbal sparing was a relief to him at times because it helped him to put aside his lust and even made him get angry at her. But it was fleeting and he knew he hurt her when he called her a whore. He always told himself he would never say it again but she always did something and it just came out.

Sleeping with Nandi had been foolish and it was one of the reasons for Inara to leave of that he was certain. She covered up well, but he knew she had been hurt when he slept with her friend. Mal had gone without a woman for so long and Nandi was there, beautiful and willing and they all could have been dead the next day. Nandi was dead and Mal felt a twinge of guilt over that. It hadn't been his fault but he hadn't tried hard enough to convince Nandi to leave that moon.

Mal was reaching for his bottle to pour another drink went suddenly the bottle slid out of arms reach and went flying off the table and hit the floor with a crash. At the same moment the klaxon blared and Mal immediately leaped to his feet and headed for the bridge, swaying from side to side as his ship was sent into a series of violent maneuvers.

"WASH! What the hell is going on?!"

Zoe Washburne lay in bed, wearing nothin' at all, waiting for Wash to finish setting the course and come to bed. Thoughts on what they would do when he arrive made her grin. She knew he was tired but he was never too tired to make her feel like a woman. Her mind also drifted to the guns in the cargo hold, and knew it was a mistake that might cost them in the end. Tough times or not, they had never done anything so out right stupid before. Sure they had robbed every kind of place that held money and had shipped almost every conceivable cargo, but never guns. The Alliance wanted all the guns in the galaxy controlled by them but they knew that was an impossibility. Folks on the rim needed guns for protection and the Alliance decision to take away those guns had been part of the reason behind the rebellion. Or so the history books said, least the ones published by the Alliance after the war. Zoe knew the reasons for the war ran much deeper than who controlled arms in the galaxy. "Interference in local politics" "raping of resources", "using rim planets as forced labor pools" "confiscation of private property" "excessive taxes for rim planets", "freedom", all these word and phrases one often didn't see in any Alliance book on the causes of the war.

Since they couldn't take away every gun from every person in the galaxy, the second best thing was to control the manufacture and trade in guns and that they did with a tenacious demeanor. All weapon manufacturing was strictly controlled on Core planets and any hint of an operation outside Alliance control was ruthlessly hunted down and destroyed. The death penalty was given to all involved in illegal weapons manufacturing, transportation, and selling. And now they were gun runners.

Talking Mal out of something had never been Zoe's strong suit. He was as stubborn as they came and she had learned over the years what buttons to push to make him change his mind, which rarely happened. Her marriage to Wash had been one of the few times she had disagreed with him but she knew it wouldn't be the last. Malcolm Reynolds streak of nobility and madness clashed at times. The nobility got them into trouble and the madness got them out again. Madness for doing the impossible, not the type of madness they all feared River had. She had seen the hope leave him in Serenity Valley and that hope had been replaced by the cold, but still smoldering embers of a once fiery heart that was now darkened against the 'verse.

Saving Simon and River had been one part his attempt at salvation, despite the many times he said he did it to stick a thorn in the side of the Alliance. That was partly true but Zoe knew it ran deeper than that. Mal has always seen himself as the good guy, but the Alliance branded him a rebel and then a criminal. Helping the Tams made him a good guy again. Zoe hadn't agreed with him on their staying and knew they were trouble that they hadn't seen the last of yet, but she couldn't deny that having Simon on board, him saving Kaylee, Mal, and even herself, more than outweighed any trouble the brother and sister could bring down on the ship and its crew.

"Where are you, husband?" Zoe thought as she waited for her man. Then came the piercing, shocking sound of the klaxon and Zoe was up and struggling into her clothes as her husband sent the old Firefly into violent twists and turns

Inara Serra sat on her bed in her shuttle, looking at all her possessions surrounding her living quarters and wondering, for the hundredth time, if she was making a mistake by leaving Serenity. She was leaving because of Mal and for no other reason than the fact that if she couldn't be with him she didn't want to be near him. That had to be love and her breakdown when she learned he had spent the night in her friend Nandi's arms confirmed her deep feelings for Mal. Why and how it happened she didn't know because he represented everything she found repulsive in the verse. He was uncultured, a thief, a killer, and a rebel. But the charm of the man cut through all that and his noble heart was clear for her to see. Any real thief would have turned Simon and River in a long time ago, collected the reward, and not have lost a wink of sleep over it. Mal had had his chances to be rid of them, guilt free, but had gone back for them on Jingyang and Ariel. He never left anyone behind.

Inara looked at her bed where she had loved so many men except for the one she really loved. Damn that man was so stubborn! Why didn't he say anything?! She knew how Kaylee felt about Simon, the little mechanic coming to Inara for a sympathetic ear concerning her feelings on Simon more than once or twice. Mal and Simon had more in common than either would ever admit. She knew Kaylee sensed that she had more feelings for Mal than she let on but Kaylee never directly broached the topic.

Where to go had been the big question for Inara and finally she received word from the head mistress of a training house that Inara would be more than welcome as an instructor. Inara's past, the subject of much speculation among the crew, of which she never said a word to anyone, did not come up when the head mistress waved. Perhaps they hadn't received word of Inara's indiscretion this far out on the rim but that was wishful thinking as it had been almost two years since she left Sihon. The Guild Mistress had promised to not say anything to the other guild houses but rumors were like lifeblood to some Companions, as long as it was about fellow Companions. The secrets their client's divulged in the bedroom were not to be shared but any juicy gossip about other Companions was for the taking. In fact, more than once the Alliance had tried to compromise the Guild's position as an entertainer of powerful men to use the Companions as spies but all such attempts had been successfully resisted. What a man said and did in the arms of a Companion remained secret.

After the Greenleaf run Mal had promised to drop her off at the training house. Now all she had to do was break the news to the others and pack. Inara had just gotten to her feet and was thinking about how to tell the others when her whole world lurched and she was throw off her feet and onto her bed as the klaxon screamed its warning.

Jayne Cobb sat on the floor of the cargo bay, cleaning an ancient sniper rifle. It wasn't the best he had ever seen and it certainly wasn't the best that was in this pile of junk that passed for weapons, but it was the oldest and had a long history of that he was sure. But most of all it was the most valuable. It was a Springfield '03, and it had to be at least six hundred years old, made in the United States and used by her soldiers in the First World War. Jayne knew guns and knew some military history, one of the few subjects that ever interested him enough to open a book in the few years of schooling he had. How it ended up in this cargo was the question as Jayne knew it could fetch a handsome price with any ancient firearms dealer. Those idiots who had given them the guns had no idea what they had. Rifle like this had to be worth least 100,000 credits or more to a serious gun dealer.

Jayne pulled the grease rag through the barrel for the tenth time and then took an old wire brush and commenced to scraping away the spots of rust on the barrel and firing mechanism. No way was this one going back in the crates no matter what Mal said. Jayne hated taking orders from Mal and the captain pissed him off at least once a day. One of these days….but Jayne knew that day wouldn't come cause he learned long ago that Malcolm Reynolds was a bit mad when it came to his ship and his crew and would die defending both. To Jayne, Serenity was just a piece of machinery that carried him through the verse and let him get and do the things that pleased him in life, like shooting people, stealing shiny stuff like this rifle, and getting him a woman for the right price. The right price was no attachments, no ring on his finger, and no one telling him to be home for supper.

The women on Serenity were some of the finest Jayne had ever seen but they were strictly off limits, something Mal made sure he understood the day he joined the ship and Mal caught him leering at Kaylee. A smack to the jaw and stern talking to with a pistol in his face made Jayne understand the rules of Mal's ship. Jayne hated rules but sometimes you just had to follow a few so you could say to hell with the rest. He thought on killin' Mal Reynolds for the first time then but he had no friends on this ship and Zoe would kill him the second after he killed Mal. Now Mal had kind of grown on Jayne and they had shared more drinking and danger than Jayne had shared with any other man in his life. You could say Mal was turning into kind of a brother, not that Jayne would ever say that out loud. Just cause he felt like that didn't mean Jayne wouldn't try to take over the ship if Mal ever got himself killed, with or without Jayne's help.

Nope, Jayne had never laid a hand on any of the Serenity women but it didn't mean he didn't want to. Kaylee was a sexpot and had the sunniest smile in the verse but all she had eyes for was the prissy Doc and his fine airs. Even before Simon had come on board Jayne's crudeness had turned Kaylee off in a way she made clear to him. Zoe was mighty fine too but she was tough as nails and was already married to Wash when he came on board. When Inara joined the ship Jayne thought that this was just too good, my own whore on board, but that dream was soon dashed by both Mal and Inara. Then there was moon brain. River was more than half his age younger than him and clearly out of her mind. But she was pretty and sexy and moved like a cat about the ship, the grace of a dancer hard not to see. And if what Kaylee said about her ability with firearms at the Skyplex battle was true, then she and Jayne had more in common than anyone, especially her brother, would ever admit.

Jayne placed the rifle carefully on the cloth he had laid out on the floor and was just about to stand up and stretch when the whole ship took a right ways lurch and the klaxon blared into life. Jayne was up and on the stairs heading topside within a few moments, wondering what in the 'verse was going on this time.

Shepherd Book was in the bathroom off the passenger lounge, brushing his teeth and washing his face before bed. He looked in the mirror above the sink and his almost sixty years was deeply lined on his face. A lot of miles on this body, he thought, feeling the aches of his age. His body had the scars of those years also, scars from his previous life and even a few new ones from his brief time on board Serenity. Stay or go was on the Shepherd's mind also this night and a reminder of his scars made him think more and more on go. There was the knock on the head from Dobson, the second more recent knock on the head from Early, and then, worst of all, the bullet from who knows who from the modern version of the gunfight at the OK corral. Simon had been gone and he knew he was dieing so he had to pull out his ID card and show those Alliance men who he really was. He always carried it, knew he'd have to show it to someone some day for some reason. He could have thrown it away years ago but he was above all a cautious man. Men like him didn't grow old unless they were cautious.

When the war ended he knew people would be looking for him, some to get him to do more of the same as he had done, others seeking revenge. He needed a rest from all the madness he had seen and had participated in and the abbey was the logical choice. Book had been a religious man in his youth and had no trouble picking up the pieces of that old life again. Six years he stayed in the Southdown Abbey and then he felt it was time to go. Perhaps it wasn't. Within a day of leaving the abbey he was once more entangled in the long tentacles of the Alliance, on board this ship with these people who he began to think on as family.

But gun running was the last straw for Book. He knew that Mal was in a bad spot but even this was too much. Book knew more than most men abut guns, with perhaps the exception of Jayne Cobb, but he knew that guns were the cause of much of the pain in the verse. Shipping them to criminals on Greenleaf was dangerous and foolhardy. On the first day he had sat with Jayne in the cargo bay examining and discussing the weapons but then he couldn't stomach it anymore and had left Jayne to it alone. His friendship with the mercenary mystified the Shepherd on more than one occasion. They both enjoyed weight training and Jayne seemed to want to talk to the older man, not for religious reasons, but just to talk, about anything, seeing as everyone else on Serenity was younger than Jayne except Book. No one was older than Book and he turned to Inara at times when he needed advice. In his youth she would have turned his head in a second but those days were long past and his dedication to his vows prevented him from taking a woman.

Book exited the passenger bathroom and was heading to his room when the ship took a steep turn and he lost his balance for a second. Then the klaxon was screaming its warning and Book dropped his toiletries on the lounge table and ran up the back stairs.

Simon Tam lay in bed in his room, unable to sleep, his mind on fire with thoughts of one person who filled his mind day and night. The little mechanic had gotten under his skin and he was engulfed with desire for her. Her smile, her hair, the smell of her, her bright green eyes, her laugh, and her wholesome goodness, all made him crazy and it was all he could do to keep his composure around her. He buried himself in the work to find a cause for River's problems and a cure but it wasn't enough to totally block out thoughts of Kaylee. And at night there was no work and only the thoughts of Kaylee. Perhaps he should take to drinking something or taking a sleeping dose but that was not sound. He needed to be alert in case anything happened to his sister or someone else on the crew. His job was medic, doctor, life saver, and he took that responsibility seriously.

Sleep sure wasn't coming yet so Simon sat up in bed and got out his journal, a leather bound notebook with thick creamy paper and began to write about what happened with Jubal Early. His leg still had a dull throb where he had been shot but Simon thought that was more of a mental projection of his injury than actual pain, like a person who breaks their leg and then continues to use a cane long after the leg has healed for fears of injuring it again. Early was one of the most evil men Simon had met in his life. All he did was search the 'verse for bounties and take them to be punished. Simon couldn't see the purpose of a life like that. Did Early and others like him get satisfaction out of finding and capturing fugitives? Perhaps. Some of those fugitives were savage criminals and perhaps men like Early were a necessity. But his sister was not a savage criminal and Early had paid the price for trying to take her in.

Thinking on River brought back all his frustrations about what to do about her and their future. Every day could be their last on Serenity and every day Simon woke up with the ground not solid under his feet. The last seven months had been a long rollercoaster ride and he had done more things, things he could never have imagined doing, in that time than in his previous twenty-seven years. This ship was both a haven and a deathtrap, allowing them to keep moving, but also attracting the kind of trouble Simon was looking to avoid. He needed a quiet corner of the verse, a place to hide and take care of River. And maybe ask Kaylee….no, he couldn't drag her into their world of running and hiding. It wouldn't be fair to her. But his feelings for her grew every day and he thought he'd go mad soon if he didn't have her in his arms. He knew she felt the same way but something always stopped Simon from taking that last step and he knew then that perhaps it was true love, that he couldn't bring himself to put her in any more danger than she already was by having the Tams on board this ship.

After some time writing Simon's eyes grew bleary and he put the journal back on its shelf. He lay back and just as he drifted off the ship lurched and the klaxon blared. He was up in a second, hastily threw on some clothes and dashed to River's room.

Of all the crew River Tam was the only one sleeping. Sleep came in fits and starts to her when she had first come on board Serenity but now she slept much better since their Ariel drug raid and the daily shots her brother gave her. River hated the medicine and the needles but it helped her think more clearly and to shut out the feelings of the other crew members. Emotions flooded her mind in those early weeks, feeling all that they felt and more. Fear was one of the strongest and fear was a constant presence on this ship. It had been overpowering when the Reavers had chased them and when Womack had been firing missiles at them, when Tracey was dieing and when Jubal Early was on the ship. But fear wasn't the only emotion. There was love and she felt it strongest from Kaylee, especially when she was near her brother. Simon also felt it but struggled against it, trying but failing to control his love for Kaylee. With Mal and Inara there were plenty of sparks of love and they also both tried to control it, a little more successfully than her brother. Now with Zoe and Wash it was full on out in the open no holding back anything at anytime. Well, almost any time. Zoe and Wash did have their disagreements but they always came back to each other and River knew that was true love also. And then there was hope. Jayne hoped for a big payday, Mal hoped to keep his ship in the air, Kaylee hoped Simon would like her dress, Book hoped that all would be well, Inara hoped that Mal would overcome his stubbornness, Simon hoped that his sister would get better.

The whole gamut of emotions flooded the ship but what about River, did she also feel? Of course she did and strongest of all was her love for her brother. She knew he had given up everything to save her, was willing to sacrifice himself when those people had wanted to burn her, was even willing to give up on a chance of true happiness with Kaylee to help her. Kaylee was also in River's mind for of all the people on Serenity Kaylee had been more of a friend to the Tams than anyone else. Inara was more like her mother than her real one and Book was the grandfather she had never known, despite their disagreements over the contents of the Bible. He just didn't understand that a lot of that stuff was impossible. Faith had no place in River's logical verse. Jayne was not to be trusted and all she saw in his heart was lust and greed. Zoe was wary of her and even felt sorry for her, but also felt that the Tams should be gone. Wash was funny and likeable and River also felt he had sympathy for her, but knew he would follow his wife's position.

And that left Mal. He was the one who's heart River knew was the purest of them all but it was scarred and trampled on and he was mistrusting of all. He had demons in his past and they were still floating around him. He wouldn't send them off his boat, and would stand up to any that suggested it, but he knew that trouble would follow the Tams. Mal felt that he had a duty to protect them and it was something River had yet to reach a logical reason for.

The ship lurched and the klaxon rang and Simon had opened her door and then closed it again and River still slept on. After about five more minutes she suddenly sat up, eyes wide, lips trembling in fear, and she rose, dressed, and headed for the bridge.

Mal reached the bridge first and immediately saw the cause of Wash's warning and of the violent turnings.

"What in the 'verse…?"

"Don't know, it was just…. there," said Wash in a shaky voice. "Every time I turn, it's just…there."

"Cut the engines!"

"VTOLs off and Kaylee is powering us down now, but…"

"Momentum," said Mal in despair. "Reverse thrust, VTOLs, full burn!"

"The fuel…" began Wash but then just did it. The two VTOLs reversed direction and Wash hit full burn. Mal and Wash held their breath as the ship slowed but was still drawn toward the swirling bluish white milky cloud.

"Shut 'em down before we lose all fuel," Mal told his pilot and Wash immediately stopped both VTOLs and returned them to their normal position.

"Get me a quick calculation on when we'll hit it," he ordered Wash and the pilot started hitting buttons and making computations on his nav computer. Mal reached over and shut off the klaxon and the sudden silence gave Mal a chill up his spine as he watched the cloud closing on his home and family. What in the hell could it be?

Kaylee's voice came through the intercom. "Wash? What's happening?"

Mal grabbed the mic. "Can we reverse main engine thrust Kaylee?"

"Not a chance," came the reply. "She ain't built to fly backwards. What's happening?" And Mal could sense the frustration in Kaylee's voice equaled his own. Here was a situation and nothing in his experience had prepared him for this.

"Not sure yet, Kaylee. Stay at your station," was all Mal could say and he knew it was no comfort to his mechanic, alone in the bowels of the ship, unable to see anything that was happening.

"Roger that, Capt'n," came her nervous reply.

Within a few minutes the rest of the crew was on the bridge with the exception of Kaylee and River. In awe they looked at the bluish white cloud and as they got closer it seemed to be glowing.

"Situation, sir?" asked Zoe and everyone just held their breathe, all except Simon who leaped to a Cortex screen and started inputting information.

"Got us this here space cloud popped up out of nowhere and we can't avoid it or slow down," Mal replied.

"Well, I'll be…"said the Shepherd as he stared out the windows.

"Jus' fly around the damn thing, Wash!" suggested Jayne as he sat in the co-pilot's seat and stared with wide eyes at the phenomena fast approaching. Wash just looked at him in despair.

"Already tried it," he said, his word a whisper. "Like Mal said, it can't be avoided."

"Why not?" asked Zoe as she lay a hand on her husband's shoulder

"It…ah, followed us."

Inara was just staring at him. "Followed us?"

"Or pulled us back toward it. I honestly don't know," Wash offered, but no one could quite understand it so he showed them. He turned the ship to the right and the cloud moved off to the left and just as quickly it was back in front. No one said a word for a long few seconds.

"Wash, need that calculation," Mal reminded him.

"Ten minutes Mal before we are on it," came Wash's quiet voice as finished his calculations.

"It could be harmless," said Shepherd Book and the others looked at him, not quite confident in his belief.

"Movement implies intelligence," said Simon in a quiet voice and his words stopped them all. "There is nothing in the Cortex about his type of astral phenomena. It looks like space dust and gas but…"

"They don't just pop up and follow around space ships," said Wash.

"Exactly," replied Simon.

"Well, we got exactly ten, no, nine minutes to do something about it. Ideas?" Mal said as he looked around and no one made a sound and the fear began to grow as each looked to the others and no answer was fourth coming. Then came a voice.

"We need to strap in."

They all turned to look at River standing in the doorway, her eyes wide, her lip still trembling.

"Now. Going to be a bumpy ride," she said and then turned and headed back toward the kitchen.

Mal looked at River walk away and wondered how she knew but he didn't have time to second guess her. The fact that she knew danger was approaching and she knew it wasn't going to be pleasant didn't make it any less so. "Right. Strap in everyone. Let's not take any chances. I'll tell Kaylee," Mal said as he grabbed the overhead mic.

Within five minutes they were all strapped in, Mal, Wash and Zoe on the bridge, and the rest of the crew in the lounge area of the dining room. Jayne doubled checked all straps before strapping in himself. Simon brought Kaylee up to date on what was happening and then began the ride of their lives.

It was all over in a few minutes and nothing important was damaged but it felt like they had been inside a washing machine, the ship spinning and twisting, moving in all directions and making more than one stomach a little queasy. The artificial gravity had seemed to have lost its hold on the ship. They couldn't help but shout and scream and fear filled the air as dishes went flying around the dining area, cupboards opened and cans fell out, and various other things came loose throughout the ship and went flying around.

Up on the bridge Mal, Wash and Zoe got the front seat view of a very interesting show. They hit the milky cloud and then it felt like the whole ship had been, as Wash later said "sucked right it". Flashes of blue and white flew by and Zoe thought it was like a long tunnel they were going through. Mal's hands almost broke the armrests on the co-pilot's seat he gripped them so tight and Wash gave up any attempt to fly after a few seconds, the helm unresponsive to anything he did. And then it was all over.

They floated through space again and the cloud was no where to be found. Mal and Wash look at each other to make sure they were still there. After a few seconds Mal realized they had stopped twisting and turning so he undid his straps and grabbed the mic.

"This is the captain. Seems we've come through some sort of space…something….Check for damages and report any injuries."

Zoe moved to the co-pilot seat as Wash fired up the VTOL's again. She looked at her husband and he gave her a reassuring grin but it was forced. Book then appeared on the bridge.

"No injuries, Captain. Kaylee has gone to the engine room and Jayne and Simon went below to check on things. Inara and River are picking up the pieces in the kitchen."

"Thanks, Shepherd. Hell of a ride."

"Not one I'd care to repeat. Any idea on where we are?"

"Just getting to that," said Wash as he started operating the nav computer.

Mal grabbed the mic and hit the button for the engine room intercom. "Kaylee, report."

"All shiny here Capt'n, 'cept for a few loose items. Getting to them now. You want main engine powered up?"

"If you please," replied Mal.

"Main engine powered up," said Wash as the indicator light came on his control panel.

"VTOL's off. Save the fuel," said Mal as Wash hit the switches shutting them down.

"Bridge," came Simon's voice over the comms. "Bit banged up down here but nothing major."

"Roger that," answered Mal.

Curiosity about their situation soon gripped the crew and gradually all made their way to the bridge, Kaylee the last as she finally got the engine room in ship-shape. The nine members of Serenity's crew stared out the windows at this strange section of space.

"Need a location, Wash," Mal said in a toneless voice, barely a whisper.

"I'm not getting any nav beacons or nav sat input," replied the pilot. "There's just…nothing."

"Can't be,' growled Jayne. "Whole galaxy is full of them beacons and nav sat transmitters."

"There's something…a planet!' said Inara with excitement, pointing off to a distance tiny speck.

"Scan that planet, Zoe," Mal commanded. "There's got to be nav sats there."

Zoe hit buttons and flipped switches as all waited in anticipation.

"Nothing," she replied in frustration.

"Too far maybe," said Wash. "It's about 500,000 kilometers."

"Let's get closer and see if we can pick up a signal or if we recognize it," Mal said and Wash nudged the power up a bit and Serenity moved closer and closer.

"There's a sun nearby," said Zoe, looking at the instrument panels in front of her. "Behind us. Getting higher heat signatures on the back of the ship."

"Check it, Kaylee," ordered Mal and Kaylee moved over and looked over Zoe's shoulder.

"Yup, its solar radiation alright, not from our engine. Almost directly behind us."

"It looks like Greenleaf," chimed in Inara after a few minutes of breathless silence, a bit of hope in her voice.

"Greenleaf's got five moons," said Simon. "I think this planet only has one. See it off to the left?"

"One moon," said Zoe from the co-pilot's seat. "Picking up some kind of electrical background, also from the moon."

"A signal?' Mal asked with hope.

"Too weak to tell," said Zoe in frustration.

"What about the planet?" asked Book. "Any signs of life?'

"Nothing...except…. plenty of meteorological activity and…large amounts of radiation. And it's too high to be solar," Zoe told them.

"Radiation?" Kaylee questioned. "How can there be radiation? It's a solid planet, not a gas bag or sun."

No one had an answer.

They were close enough now the scanner could send them images of continents and islands and oceans on the planet and plenty of clouds.

"It doesn't look like any planet I've ever seen," said Book as he gazed at the scanners. "And I've seen most every one in our area of the verse."

"It's not in our area of the verse. We're not in our area of the verse,' said River in a quiet voice.

"Well, where in the hell are we then?" Jayne snapped, his voice with a slight tremor and tinged with sarcasm and fear.

Simon looked at his sister and then at the scanner and the images of the land and oceans. Something tugged at his memory, lessons from his childhood, history and geography of planets. And then it came in a flash of blinding light and he finally understood, the last piece of the puzzle. A blue-green-white sphere with one moon, with continents, islands and oceans could be any planet. But this planet's distinct land formations he knew from staring at them for hours on old maps and books in his father's study, some of them so old that they were passed down from generation to generation in the Tam family and carefully protected. Simon had to sneak into the study and take them out of a locked cupboard when his father wasn't home, always careful not to tear the dusty pages and always putting them back in the same place.

"I know where we are."

They all turned to him, with looks of fear, hope, and anticipation.

"It's Earth," Simon said in an awed voice and the disbelief and shock was on all faces as they turned to the blue-green-white sphere and its single moon that was the homeland of humanity.


	2. Chapter 2

_Mal's leadership is put to the test as the awful news about their location and situation dawns on Serenity's crew._

**The Return - Chapter 2**

"It's Earth."

Simon's words hung in the air, the disbelief on all faces obvious, no one saying a word but just staring into space at the planet growing larger in the windows of the bridge, but still far off. Jayne was the first to break the silence.

"It can't be," he said in a tone of reference that none on the ship had ever heard come from the big merc before. And then there was a babble of voices that drown each other out as all sought to express what they felt.

"Huh," from Mal and it was all he said for a long moment.

"That's crazy," came from Wash and he tried to give one of his sheepish grins, to make light of their situation, but no one was even looking at him so he turned back to his piloting.

Kaylee was looking at Simon and her words quickly followed Wash's. "How do you know?"

"Ain't no one ever seen Earth, not in…like 500 years!" Jayne added, before Simon could answer Kaylee.

"It's…impossible!" from Inara right on the heels of Jayne's words.

"Ah….," started Simon but no one gave him a chance.

"Earth's almost forty light years from our quadrant," added Book. "We couldn't have…no…Inara's right. It's impossible."

"42.4 light years and no it's not impossible," River countered. "We're here, aren't we?"

Zoe was scanning and looking and she just turned to Simon. "It seems…familiar."

Simon waited for them all to calm down and then they were all staring at him. He knew words would never do it so he reached on by Zoe's control panel and logged onto the Cortex screen. But there was no Cortex, just static.

"Oh, right. No Cortex," he said in a small voice.

"What? But that…" from Jayne and then understanding began to dawn.

Simon switched to the ship's internal memory banks. "Let's hope we have something on here."

"Ain't much, "said Zoe.

"Gorramn it, Doc, we can't have gone clear cross the galaxy!" Jayne spewed out.

"Hey, give him a sec!" said Kaylee in defense of Simon. "Ain't no Cortex, it's gotta mean something's screwy." She looked to Simon to see if he noticed her defending him but he seemed too wrapped up in what he was doing to notice. As usual.

"Maybe we damaged our nav and comms antennas?" offered Wash.

"No," said Zoe. "Still got them. Least the control panel says so." Of all the crew only she seemed as unfazed as Simon. Well, not totally unfazed, but trying to keep calm. She looked at Mal and he was still staring out the window in stunned disbelief. He felt Zoe's stare and then she gave him one of her looks and he knew he was not presenting a good image as a leader.

"Ok, folks, let Simon explain it all before we go off half cocked here," Mal said in a commanding tone and then turned to Simon. "Doc?"

He hit buttons and pictures and images flashed by and finally he found want he wanted. "Here it is. Earth"

It was an image of Earth spread out in a flat manner like the old maps he'd seen in his father's study. The continents, oceans, countries, and major cities were all labeled.

"My God," said Zoe and they all tried to elbow in and get a look, all except Wash who was still flying.

"What? What is it?" he asked in a slightly whiny tone.

After a few seconds, Mal looked at him. "It's Earth all right."

One by one all sets of eyes traveled from the computer image Simon had brought up to the long range sensor scanner next to it and they could see that it was Earth. Kaylee elbowed Jayne aside till she was next to Simon and then he did notice her, could feel the warmth of her body next to his and turned and smiled and said "thank you' in a whisper. Kaylee felt her face blush a little as he said those kind words and she smiled back at him. His lip quivered a bit and then he turned his attention back to the screens.

The Sahara desert was in plain view without a lick of cloud covering it and Simon pointed it out.

"The Sahara, the largest desert," he told them. After many minutes of staring and asking questions Mal finally ended the show.

"Wash, Kaylee, power us down," he ordered.

"But Capt'n…it's Earth! Ain't we gonna take a look!"

"Not yet. Not till we straighten out the boat and try to figure out what in the gorramn verse is going on. Simon, River, be much obliged if you put your two big brains together and try to find a way to explain all this for the rest of us."

"Yes, Mal," Simon replied and River didn't say a word and didn't need to cause Mal and Simon both knew she'd help her brother. "I'll get my encyclopedia and see what we can find out."

He left the bridge and River followed him, Simon not noticing Kaylee's look in his direction as he left.

"Wash, Kaylee, now," Mal next commanded and Kaylee snapped out of her trance and went off to the engine room without another word and after a few moments the engine was at its lowest setting and the ship drifted just outside 350,000 kilometers from Earth, a bit beyond the orbit of the moon which was actually on the far side of the Earth at the moment, the side in darkness.

"Guess we got some cleaning up to do," said Mal to the rest and they all hesitated and still looked out the window but then one by one everyone went off to do their share about straightening out Serenity from the mess cause by the…whatever sent them here. Soon only Wash and Mal were left on the bridge. Mal sat in the co-pilot's seat and just stared at the scanners.

"Can you believe this mess were in?" he finally said to Wash.

Wash looked at him in disbelief. "Mess! This is unbelievable…we actually get to see Earth, find out what happened to them, tell them what happened to our ancestors. Mal, there has been no contact with Earth in almost 500 years! This is fantastic!"

"Wash, you think on why there is so much radiation down there and why we ain't picked up any nav sats or other signs of life, not even a spaceship about from the planet that sent our forefathers into space?

Wash was silent as this sunk in.

"And I got a feeling that sooner or later I'd like to go home. Despite Alliance and Reavers, and scum like Badger, it's still home. How we gonna get there?"

* * *

Kaylee, Zoe and Inara got started on clearing up the mess in the kitchen and dining area while Jayne and Book went below.

"This is too much," said Inara after a few minutes. "I'm…stunned."

"Let's have some tea," offered Kaylee and Inara immediately grabbed the kettle from the floor and filled it with water and set it to boiling on the electric stove. The three picked up the chairs and straightened out the table and sat down. And then three women just stared at each other

Kaylee finally broke the silence. "What happened?" she asked in a small voice.

"Don't know," said Zoe and then she told them about the sudden appearance of the cloud and how they were sucked right into what Zoe could only describe as a long tunnel and how Wash had lost complete control of the helm.

"Simon and River will figure it out," said Inara with hope in her voice as she went to the boiling kettle and began to prepare their tea.

"Yeah, they're real bright," said Kaylee and then a sudden sad look passed over her face. "If we're near Earth then my daddy is….home! How are we…?"

And then the silence came over them again as Inara brought the tea to the table.

"No one will even know what happened to us," said Kaylee in a forlorn tone. "I wanna go home."

"Captain'll figure it out," Zoe offered in encouragement but her heart wasn't in it and Inara reached across the table and squeezed Kaylee's hand to reassure her.

"Capt'n's been in lots of bad situations, right?" Kaylee said. But no one said a word and Kaylee knew they didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was. She held herself together and sipped her tea. After a long while they got up and went back to putting things in the kitchen and dining room right.

* * *

"Earth," said Book to Jayne as they straightened out the weapons crates and guns in the cargo bay. "It's the one place I thought I'd never see in my lifetime."

"Ain't seen much of it yet," Jayne grunted. "Glad we got these guns on board. Might come in handy."

Book looked at him in surprise. "Come again?"

"Look Shepherd, we know who's who in our section of the verse and who to shoot first and who to run from. But out here, were strangers. Till we get the lay of the land or the space, or whatever you call it, we best step carefully. Lord knows what we're gonna find on these planets and moons."

"As far as we know, Earth is the only habitable planet or moon in this section of the galaxy," said Book.

"Yeah, maybe, but it's been 500 years so who knows? And I read some of its military history. Got a way about inventing things that kill people in big numbers and then using them on each other."

"And we haven't? I seem to recalled a galaxy wide war that only ended about seven years ago," Book said as they bent to pick up another crate and move it back to the neat pile they were making.

"Yeah, but were still here. We got billions on the Core planets and plenty of folks on the rim. Ain't a sign of life so far from Earth. Where're the Earthlings?"

* * *

Simon and River spent an hour in his room going through the encyclopedia and arguing over what caused their situation, with River going off into the mystical field of astral physics, drawing figures and writing equations at blinding speed in one of Simon's notebooks until she grew frustration with its small pages and went off to her room and returned with a large sketch pad. She talked about Einstein-Rosen bridges, Schwarzschild wormholes, time travel, and space folding, until Simon's head spun and he grew weary. They had been on the verge of sleep, the whole crew, when the klaxon had sounded and his brain was numb with exhaustion and the dilemma they were in.

"And that's it?" he finally said after River at last stopped talking.

"Yes. It's easy to understand," she replied and seemed happy that she knew what had happened to them, forgetting that they were in deep trouble.

"For me, almost. For the crew, not so easy. I'll explain it to them. But River, they're going to ask one question: can we go back again?"

* * *

The crew had gathered in the now clean and tidy dining area, even Wash, as Simon stood before them, with a piece of blank paper in his hand, and explained as best he could what had happened.

"We've struck a space phenomenon that is called a wormhole, as far as we know."

"We have," said River with certainty.

Everyone had puzzled expressions and Jayne was about to say something, which wasn't always for the best, so Mal gave him a look and then turned to Simon.

"For all of us who didn't get a proper education on the Core, Doc, could you explain that as simply as possible?"

"Yes, I'll try," began Simon and he took the piece of blank paper, lay it flat on his hand and then pointed to one side. "This is our section of the galaxy." And then he pointed to another side. "And here is where Earth is 42 some light years away. Impossible to get here in less than 42 years for us or anyone in our corner of the verse since no one has faster than light drives. Alliance has been working on them for years but nothing substantial had developed yet."

"This is all old news, Doc," Mal said impatiently. Simon had a way of going the round about route to explain things that grated on people at times. Everyone knew that faster than light drives would get them here and there faster than ever before and maybe even back to Earth but it was just an idea, not a reality.

"Sorry," Simon said and Kaylee gave him a little smile of encouragement which he noticed and then pressed on. "So how did we get here? We struck a wormhole, which I can't explain much about since until today was just a theory and had never actually been seen or studied, at least not by anyone…"

He could sense them drifting again. "…anyway, we hit it, that's what the cloud was, a hole in spacetime, least River is positive it was, and we traveled 42 some light years in less than four minutes. The space was folded on itself, like so."

And Simon folded the paper until the two spots he had touched were pressed against each other. "And those 42 light years became just a small step in space travel and…here we are."

"A ….wormhole?" asked Inara.

River fielded this one. "It's a time compression of spacetime with intense gravitational pull, connecting two separate locations of spacetime and drawing matter with intense gravitational pull toward the mouth until the matter is propelled to the far end of the wormhole and comes out the other mouth."

"Isn't that a black hole?" said Simon and Jayne rolled his eyes as the two Tams seemed ready to argue over this point.

"No, it's a wormhole," River said shaking her head at her brother. "Like I said to you earlier. It's spontaneous and not continuous like a blackhole and therefore has never been studied. Einstein's theory of relativity postulated the existence of wormholes but future studies shown they would be unstable and collapse after a momentary existence. Most likely we have hit a Schwarzschild wormhole. Wormhole theory states this type is more stable and allows for the possibility of spacetime travel."

No one said a word, just stared at River. "Wormholes featured heavily in late 20th century early 21st century science fiction literature and television displays," she added as an afterthought.

"So this wormhole," began Zoe. "It sucked us from our end of the galaxy to here?"

"Correct," said Simon.

Wash seemed puzzled. "You said space and time. You mean we could be in a different "time" and different place in space?

Simon shrugged. "Hard to tell. We don't know what the count of time is here. We know in our galaxy what year it is, what month and day, but here, we'd have to talk to someone."

Mal could sense the rising panic at this news so he quickly stopped it. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Doc and River explained it as best they can for now. We traveled across the galaxy to here so now we got some things to figure out."

"Like why Earth," said Book, the preacher searching for some deeper meaning as to why they ended up in this place of all the places in the galaxy.

Simon put down the paper. "Wormholes are unpredictable. No one knows why they are created and there is no way to know when it will appear or where it will take an object."

Book wouldn't be put of so easily from his train of thought. "But we have arrived at Earth of all places. There must be something more to this than an unpredictable space phenomenon."

Jayne just stared at him. "You mean God wanted us to find Earth so sent us this worm…whatever it is?

"Yeah, why Earth?' Kaylee added. "If these things are unpredictable, then maybe Shepherd has a point."

"We're here cause we're here and there ain't no higher power involved," Mal spouted, all this religious talk bending him out of shape.

"The gravitational pull thing River said might explain why we couldn't avoid it," Wash said quietly from where he sat close to Zoe. "You know, sometimes whole ships and crews disappear, gone without so much as an emergency beacon or communication. No one ever knows what happened to them. I've heard of wormholes before. Pilots joke about them when someone disappears. 'Down the wormhole.' We joke, but it's only half in jest and half in fear. Wormholes are just a theory cause no one ever came back from seeing one."

"Which brings my next point, Doc," Mal started, in his heart hoping for a good answer but expecting the worst. "Can we get back to our area of the verse?"

They all looked at Simon and River and he struggled to find a way to say it delicately but she answered before he could find the proper words.

"We can't. No one knows when and where a wormhole will appear or where it will take you. We're never getting home."

"It would take a miracle," said Simon, so silent they almost couldn't hear him.

That news was like a bombshell and they all just stared at the table. Then came a sniffle and it was from Kaylee. "My daddy's birthday's next week and I ain't even waved him yet to tell him happy birthday."

No one said a word, all their thoughts on friends and family, all except Mal, whose only family in the verse was right here and he knew they were gonna have a rough road ahead. Mal put a hand on her shoulder. "You're gonna get that chance little Kaylee. We'll get home, you'll see."

"Don't go makin' promises you can't keep," said Jayne, his voice filled with sadness and despair.

Mal looked at him sharply and could see even Jayne's toughness was falling away in this crisis. Time to be a captain.

He stood and walked to Simon's side. "We ain't dead yet and that's the best news I got for you so far so let's not kid ourselves. I can make all the promises in the verse but it don't make them so. But we can't give up hope. We're here and we're gonna make the best of this situation. We got exploring to do and questions that need answers and plans to make. Right now you're all feeling mighty low and I am too, but now's the time to step up and be our best. You're all on this boat cause I only pick the best and only let the best stay. If ever was a time I needed to depend on all of you, every last one, it's now. It's late, we're tired and been through a lot in the last two hours and I guess we're all in shock. Time for some rest."

"Don't think I can sleep,' said Kaylee in a sad little voice. "My mind's spinning in a hundred directions at once."

Mal just nodded. "Doc, I want you to fix everyone that needs it a sleeping dose. We'll man the bridge 24 hours until we know more. I'll take first watch on the bridge, Wash second after three hours, Zoe third. Keep all sensors wide open and search for comms traffic. Any questions?'

No one said anything, most too numb to think clearly. Jayne was the first to get up and head to his bunk, grabbing a bottle of Paquin scotch on the way, not even bothering to take a glass with him.

"No sleeping dose for me Doc," he said as he left.

"Need you alert, Jayne," said Mal.

"Just need a few shots to clear my head," came the reply as Jayne exited to the fore hall.

"I'll think I'll say a prayer for all of us," said Book. "You too, captain, if you don't mind."

"No, Shepherd, I don't mind long as your God and my name aren't in the same prayer."

"I'll make it a silent one in your case," said Book as he headed off to below decks, followed by Simon, River, and Kaylee, Mal giving his mechanic a reassuring smile as she left.

"Zoe, Wash, get some rest," Mal said as they lingered behind at the table.

"Got a million questions and no answers, sir," said Zoe as she stood.

"Me, too. Need clear, rested heads for thinking. I'll wake you in three hours Wash."

"Ok, Mal. Make it sooner if anything happens," said the pilot as he as his wife headed to their bunk.

Inara still sat at the table. 'Guess we can put off telling the crew I'm leaving."

"Guess so," said Mal. He didn't want to have this conversation, not now, not with so much going on and to think about. "You best see to your shuttle. I'll take a look at number two."

He turned to leave but she stopped him. "Mal. What if we can't get back? What if we're stuck here?"

He paused for a moment and smiled at her. "Well, least we have each other. That's something to hold onto."

And then he turned without waiting for a reply and went off to the down stairs to look over shuttle two. Inara didn't know what he meant, if he meant he and she had each other to hold onto or he meant all of them and she took it that he meant all of them, that they had each other for support and comfort in this bizarre situation. Inara felt a little better and went off to her shuttle to find out if her belongings weren't smashed into a million pieces. She wondered if she'd ever sleep again, her mind on fire with so many questions, fears, and hopes.

* * *

Kaylee, Simon, and River were in the infirmary, Kaylee sitting on the examining table, a bundle of nerves, a tear already falling from her left eye and then her right as Simon prepared a shot for her to help her sleep. River sat on the counter, her knees up, looking at her brother and Kaylee, feeling Kaylee's despair, overcoming even her feelings for Simon.

"Don't cry," she said to Kaylee and Simon turned sharply at these words and saw the tears streaking down Kaylee's face.

"Can't help it," she said with a sniffle. "I just got such a shock, I'm losing control."

Simon approached her with the hypo. "This will help," he said calmly as he swabbed disinfectant on her left arm. The needle pinched and then Kaylee felt warmness flood through her as the drug was injected, hit her bloodstream, then her heart and brain. She started feeling better already.

"Thanks, Simon," and she smiled at him and wiped her eyes. Simon smiled back.

"Kaylee, Mal's right. We'll find a way out of this."

River was about to protest this but Simon gave her a sharp look and she held her tongue.

"But what if we can't?" Kaylee said, her voice calmer now.

Simon looked from his sister to Kaylee. "Like Mal said, we're alive and that's something for now. We're here and if we are here to stay, then we'll make the best of this situation."

Kaylee was feeling a little giddy now as waves of sleep started to wash over her. She looked at him with love in her eyes. "I know what would make the situation best for me."

"I think it's time for bed, Kaylee," Simon said with a worried voice as Kaylee started to topple off the examining bed.

"Exactly!" she said as she fell off. Simon grabbed her and River got up and helped him.

"We'll never get her to her bunk," Simon said in a worried tone.

"Take me to yours, Doc. Bet your bed is nice," Kaylee replied in a groggy, giddy tone.

"How much did you give her?" River looked at her brother in admonishment.

"Too much it looks like," he said. "Help me get her to a passenger room."

They moved out of the infirmary, Kaylee supported by them, her head lolling from side to side.

"You always smell so nice, Simon," Kaylee mumbled. "Just wanna eat you all up."

Simon looked at his sister with wide eyes. "Did she just say…?"

"Yeah, numbskull. Need anymore hints?" River replied.

"I got another," Kaylee mumbled. "Sweet Simon, make me yours. How's that?"

"She's out of it," Simon said and River just shook her head as she slid open the passenger room. The bed was bare with no blankets.

Simon just sighed. "Put her in my bed. I'll sleep here."

They moved to Simon's room and now Kaylee was silent, asleep and Simon was glad because he couldn't take anymore embarrassment for now, his ears already burning red from Kaylee's words. They lay her on the bed and River removed Kaylee's work boots and placed them neatly by the bed as Simon covered Kaylee with his blankets. Here she was, finally in his bed, but not the way he wanted.

River was staring at him.

"What? OK, OK, I know she has a crush on me, have known for months. I'm not as stupid as you think."

"It's more than a crush."

Simon was taken aback. "Really?"

"Yes, really. And I know you feel the same way. Time for bed."

River left and Simon was still standing there. He glanced at Kaylee and thought even if they were stuck here and couldn't get home, at least she was here with me. He would make the best of the situation and make her his as she had asked. Simon grabbed his blue robe and toothbrush and toothpaste and then went off to the empty passenger room.

* * *

Mal awoke with a start as Zoe's voice piped into his bunk.

"9am ship's time, Captain. Rise and shine."

Mal was up in an instance and hit the button for the bridge on his intercom panel.

"Zoe, report," he growled in a sleep heavy voice. "Nothing to report, sir. All quiet, no ships about, no comms, or signals of any types. Still getting that electrical background from the moon but it disappeared for a while when the moon passed between us and Earth."

"Ok. Get the crew up, time to have breakfast and make plans."

As Mal got dressed Zoe's voice boomed through the ship, waking the crew up for the day. After a long while people began to stir, and eventually made their way to the dining area. All except Kaylee.

"Where's Kaylee?' was the first thing Mal asked as Inara and Book set to work making breakfast.

"Still sleeping," said Simon in a tired voice. "Guess the shot I gave her was too powerful."

"You can say that again," said River a bit cryptically and the other crew wondered what was going on.

"Jayne, get her up," Mal ordered and Jayne grunted and put down his coffee cup and started heading toward the fore hall and Kaylee's bunk.

"Ah," Simon began. "She's not there."

"Well, where is she, Doc. Don't tell me your bunk?" Mal said and more than a few crew grinned.

"Yeah, that'd be the day," said Jayne sarcastically.

"Actually, she is," said Simon and they all stopped and looked at him and then a groggy voice said "Morning," and they turned and Kaylee was just coming in the dining area from the aft hall, still in the clothes she had on last night. "What?" she said as they all stared at her.

"Morning," said Mal. "Sleep well."

"Yeah, but I don't seem to remember what happened." She was looking at Simon as she said this.

"You passed out…and, well, and…." He stumbled over the words and his sister came to his rescue.

"You were falling asleep too fast and it was too hard to get you to your bunk and there were no blankets in the other passenger room so you slept in Simon's bed."

"Oh. Yeah, I know I slept in Simon's bed, just wondered where he slept," Kaylee replied, a bit of grin on as she looked at Simon.

"In another room," he hastily said and everyone knew he was squirming and it might have been funny if their situation wasn't so serious.

"Thank you. For your bunk," said Kaylee as she sat down. "It was…comfortable." Simon just smiled at her and guessed she hadn't realized what she had said to him last night and so treated it like she had never said it. After all, she had been pretty doped up.

Then they all began to eat breakfast. There was oatmeal, fried eggs, toast and jam, coffee and tea, and some apple sauce. All dug in and ate well, and as Mal sat there he silently began to worry on their supply situation. If Earth truly was covered in radiation, he wondered how they would ever eat again once their supplies were gone. He kept all this to himself, with no need to worry anyone yet about things he had no control over.

The topic of discussion was of course what to do and Mal laid out the plan for the day. They would cautiously approach Earth with all sensors sweeping, pass by and get a look at the land, and then move on and examine what the electrical presence on the moon meant. They would not land anywhere till Mal was satisfied all was well. Finally as breakfast died down he looked at River.

"I got a job for you," he said and all were a bit surprised and waited silently on what he would say next. "Need you to be my advisor on all scientific things. Up for it?"

"Aye, Captain," was all she said and Mal broke into a big grin.

"Good. We'll get big brother to interpret when my brain gets all fuzzy with science stuff I can't fathom. Ok. Let's get to work."

Everyone set to doing something, Inara and Book cleaning up breakfast dishes, Simon to his room to get his encyclopedia and the notes River had made yesterday, River to the bridge with Mal, Zoe and Wash, Jayne to the cargo bay to make sure nothing was still loose.

Kaylee went to her bunk first, hastily used the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth before quickly changing clothes, donning a new t-shirt and a different pair of coveralls. Her head was still groggy from the shot Simon had given her. Wonder if I said or did anything foolish? She sure was surprised when she had woken up in his bed and for an instant she thought something wonderful had happened. Then she remembered their predicament, her worries, and the shot he had given her. She could feel Simon's presence in the room and she lay for a long moment, enjoying the feeling of his blankets and pillow.

As Kaylee made her way to the engine room, Wash took his seat and River sat in the co-pilot's seat. Zoe was about to explain to her how the sensors worked but she was already flipping switches and scanning ahead so Zoe just smiled and stepped back and let River get to work.

"Main engine powering up," came Kaylee's voice over the intercom just as Simon reappeared on the bridge and took the chair behind River, placing his encyclopedia and the notepads on the panel in front of him.

"Give us fifty percent power, Kaylee," Mal ordered.

"Roger that, Capt'n."

"Powering up," said Wash from his station. "And here we go."

Serenity glided through space and headed for the not so distant planet. Book and Inara stepped onto the bridge after a moment.

"Let's go take a look at Earth,' Mal said and all were keyed to a fever pitch with anticipation of what lay ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

_The crew gets their first look at their new destination and Mal does his best to get everyone to keep their cool and prepare for the worst._

**The Return – Chapter 3 **

Serenity glided through the black of space toward its destination: Earth. The Firefly's main engine propelled them, Mal telling Wash to leave the VTOL's off cause they'd need the fuel for landings and take offs and there was no knowing if and when they'd ever find fuel again. The situation they found themselves in lay heavy on Mal's mind as he stood on the bridge and stared out at the blue-green-white globe approaching. Serenity and its crew had been sucked through a wormhole in the fabric of spacetime, if what River and Simon had said was true and Mal had no reason to doubt the teenage genius or her brother, and now they lay more than forty light years from their home quadrant of space. Earth was the only inhabited planet or moon out here as far as they knew, and from the scans they had made so far, it didn't look like Earth was very habitable anymore.

"No nav sats, telecom sats, or radio, microwave, infrared comms," River said matter-of-factly from the co-pilot's seat where she was scanning the planet. Zoe stood behind her with Mal standing between Zoe and Wash's seat. Simon was seated in the third seat, behind River and Zoe, going through his encyclopedia, trying to find information on Earth and its main cities. Book was peering over his shoulder ready to offer any help he could while Inara just stood on the deck and stared out into the black, watching the globe approaching them through the vastness of space.

"Simon, where do you think we should head for?" Mal asked as he turned to look at the doctor.

"I think the northern most hemisphere would be the best location to look for anything or anybody," offered Simon. "It held the largest cities and the most people."

"And appears to have the most radiation," said River.

That news was certainly not welcome. "What could have caused it?" Inara asked.

"I'm afraid our fellow humans most likely," said Book.

Mal looked at the preacher. "War?"

"Yes," Book began in a somber tone. "A nuclear war is the only reasonable explanation for such radiation. No accident could be responsible for such large amounts."

"They just killed each other and destroyed their own world?" Inara said in shock.

Simon joined the discussion. "Earth's history is full of such conflicts. In our corner of the verse we have planet against planet or Alliance against the Independents. Here there was only one planet. And the numbers grew and grew. Which is why our ancestors left for the stars."

"Too many people," Zoe said quietly. "All fighting for the same resources."

"Almost ten billion when the first ships left so long ago for our galaxy on their decades long trip," Simon added.

"Ten billion. Maybe more," Mal said in kind of reverence. "Are they all dead?"

"We'll know soon enough," said Wash.

"But why nuclear weapons?" Inara asked. "We don't even have them."

"Yes, we do," said Book and they just looked at him like he was mad, this news a surprise to all. Everyone knew that the ancestors who first settled in their quadrant had forsaken nuclear weapons and banned any and all research into it. Nuclear power they had, nuclear engines, but weapons were not part of the legacy of Earth brought to the stars. It was written into the constitution of the Alliance that nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons were banned and their manufacture was outlawed.

Mal was the first to speak. 'Shepherd, I went through that war and saw all kinds of manner of ways for killing folk but weren't no nuclear weapons of any kind. We sure as hell didn't have them. Tell truth I think our side was even trying to make one but nothing came of it. Now if the Alliance had them they sure would have used them on us."

"He's right," added Zoe. "Serenity Valley would have been the place, too. But they beat us the old fashioned way. Killed more of us than we did of them."

"Having them is one thing, but using them another," Book said and explained like a teacher to a classroom. "Alliance has them, or so rumor that I heard pointed in that direction, but lacked the will to use them. They always hoped to bring the Independent planets back into the Alliance fold. Using nuclear weapons would have been going too far."

"They wanted us 'back in the fold", Mal said with a touch of venom in his voice. "They shoulda let us go our own way."

"I'm not unsympathetic to your cause, Captain," Book offered. 'But war never did anything but create more problems."

"Can't disagree with you there, Shepherd," Mal returned. He didn't want to fight with Book but his blood always got up when anyone mentioned the Alliance or their plans for the Independent planets.

Inara had stood back through all this, just looking at the planet of their distant ancestors, the home of her beloved Buddha, and couldn't imagine what would possess them to kill each other.

"How could they do it? It's the only place they have," she said in a subdued tone.

Simon spoke up next. "It's in our nature. Killing and finding ways to kill each other. Our history of Earth tells us that nuclear weapons were invented in the 1940s and by the 21st century almost a dozen nations had them and the information on how to build them was easily obtained. They were only used once, to our knowledge, on the Japanese by the United States at the end of the Second World War. I guess that is no longer true."

Only Wash and River stayed silent, concentrating on their jobs, but not unaware of the dread that was now spreading among their crewmates, dread that they could be looking at a planet of ghosts. River sensed it most keenly of all, the shot Simon had given her before breakfast the only thing helping her concentrate on what she was doing, the only thing keeping the overwhelming emotions of the crew from engulfing her. She could also sense Kaylee in the engine room, her mind still thinking on her father, and Simon, and full of intense curiosity about what those on the bridge were seeing on Earth.

Jayne's feelings were more distant, in the cargo bay, his emotions the same as always, how to use their new situation to his advantage for profit or pleasure. And River even despaired a touch from Jayne's thoughts, because the big man had no clue what to do next. Maybe that was good and maybe Jayne would be with Serenity's crew one hundred percent this time. Not like on Ariel.

* * *

River's psychic skills had not failed her for Kaylee and Jayne were thinking exactly how River sensed. Kaylee hated being stuck in the engine room at times like this, not because she didn't love her job or her beloved Serenity, but she sometimes felt cut off and no one even remembered her back here until they needed more power or something went wrong. She wanted to see Earth as badly as the others and not knowing what was happening up front was frustrating. One of these days she was going to rig up a vid system that would feed the front bridge images back to a vid display screen in the engine room. Now if she could just get Capt'n Cheap Pockets to pay for that….but she knew that was wishful thinking and there were more important things that the engine and ship needed, if they ever got back to where they belonged.

Kaylee also brooded on what had happened with Simon last night. Her memory was clearer now after breakfast and a cup of tea and she remembered saying something to him that made it very obvious her interest in him. It was either "kiss you all over" or "eat you all up" or something along those lines. Perhaps she should ask River. Anyway, Simon's embarrassed reaction at the breakfast table when they were discussing where he slept made her still feel he wasn't ready to go to the next level of…whatever it was they had. But now, being here, maybe never get home again, maybe no one else in this part of the 'verse, Kaylee began to feel she had nothing to lose. All she needed was the nerve to jump into his arms and kiss him all over before he could protest the next time they were alone. Cause she felt certain he'd never take that first step.

"Kaylee, power down to 25%," Mal's voice came through from the bridge.

"Roger that," she said, as she pulled back on the power levers and then just sat and wondered what was going on now.

* * *

As the others were getting their first long distant views of Earth and as Kaylee brooded in the engine room, Jayne was in the cargo bay looking at the Springfield sniper rifle and wondering how much it was worth now. Nothin' out here, he thought. Now if had some ammo for it, and managed to sight it in, it could do what it was made for, but he had better sniper rifles, ones with ammo. He set the rifle back in its crate and closed it.

What a fix, Jayne thought. Gorramn wormhole gonna ruin my whole life. Jayne had never expected to die peacefully, had known men like him met their end in violent ways, but getting killed by space itself gave him the creeps. That time Mal had put him in the airlock Jayne had been truly terrified. Sucked out through an airlock ain't a proper way for a man to die. Guns blazing, killing your enemies, or least killing someone trying to kill you or stopped you from getting what you wanted, that was the way for a real man to die.

Jayne was glad Mal was in charge now, glad Simon and River and their big brains were on board, glad Wash was piloting and Zoe and her guns were here, glad Kaylee and her tools were by the engine, glad Inara's smile and smell and good cooking made him feel alive, and was glad the Shepherd's words were there to comfort him. For the first time in his life Jayne Cobb had no idea what was going to happen and what to do next. But he was sure glad these folks were here with him cause if anyone could get out of this mess, they were the ones to do. He'd provide the muscles and the firepower and do any killing called for, cause that's what he did. For the first time since he came on board Serenity, Jayne realized what it really meant to be part of a crew.

"Jayne, we're getting close," came Mal's voice over the loud speaker and Jayne snapped out of his brooding and dashed up the stairs.

* * *

They were now very close to Earth, the whole planet almost filling the windows. As they had approached they could see the moon on the far side of the Earth, reflecting the sunlight that was coming from behind them. Now it was gone from view. The Earth was slowly turning, almost imperceptibly, rotating to the east.

"I think it best to do a high orbit scan of the entire planet," said Mal. "Starting in the north and then moving south. Don't want to get too close just yet. Wash?"

"Not a problem, Mal. High orbit it is."

Serenity was coming in on the high side now, Wash moving them into a path toward the North Pole. Clouds covered many areas, with patches of green and blue peeking through.

"Something ahead," River said suddenly as they approached their orbit. "Many objects. Thousands of objects."

"What is it?" Mal asked as everyone tensed.

"There's no asteroid field around Earth," said Simon as he quickly scanned his encyclopedia for all astronomical information on Earth and its moon.

"Not asteroids. Not rock. Metallic," replied River. And then they could see them, glinting in the sunlight coming from behind.

Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of pieces of…something ….were floating in high Earth orbit. Mal immediately grabbed the mic.

"Kaylee, power down to 25%."

"Roger that," came her reply. Mal next called Jayne and told him they were getting close.

"Satellites?" Book suggested.

Before anyone could answer they saw a large chuck of metallic debris float by Serenity's windows. On the side was visible the letters "NASA". The object was blackened and twisted.

Far off they could now see flashes and flares in Earth's atmosphere.

"Objects are burning up," River stated.

"Decaying orbits, entering atmo," added Wash pointing out more of them.

"I think your right, Shepherd", Mal said. "Burnt out satellites."

"More likely destroyed," said Wash. "Now we know why there is no nav or comms traffic. I think there might be even a few spaceship parts in this debris."

"What about ground stations?" Inara asked. "Surely, someone down there is alive. They must be."

"If there was a nuclear war, there would have massive electromagnetic pulse," Simon told them. "All electronics would have been fried if not properly shield."

"I think they targeted these satellites," Wash added. "Look at them, all mangled. They were destroyed on purpose."

"Military strategy,' said Book.

"Wash, River, anyway around?" Mal asked as Jayne appeared on the bridge.

"Looks clear over the most northern part," said River. Wash agreed and moved the ship at a high angle to climb over the debris field and come in toward the North Pole. Jayne arrived and Book filled him in on what was happening.

"Bridge," came a small, worried voice from the intercom. "How we doing?" Mal silently cursed himself for forgetting about Kaylee. He grabbed the mic.

"Coming through a field full of destroyed satellites approaching the northern part," said Mal and then paused for a second. "Sorry, Kaylee. I know you want to take a look, but I need you at your station."

"I'm fine Capt'n, I know my job. Just…keep me up to date, OK?" she replied.

"Roger that. Back to fifty percent power please Kaylee. We're in the clear", Mal ordered and Kaylee confirmed his order, applied more power from the main engine, and then went silent. Mal looked to Inara and she understood.

"I'll go keep her company," she said and Mal nodded.

'Thanks," he said as she left.

"You let us know if anything happens," she told him.

"You'll be the first," Mal replied.

* * *

Serenity glided over the North Pole and Wash gently established an orbit, slowly widening their path, as the ship did 360 degree turns around the planet. On their first pass they saw the sunset and the moon rise and again the electrical presence on the moon was picked up by River's sensor boards. But still too weak to understand what it was. All they knew for sure was that some kind of manmade power was on the moon.

They couldn't say the same for Earth. Nothing electrical existed so far. Nothing stirred, nothing lived as far as they knew. Gradually the ship slipped around the planet getting further south, the ice fields of the north gradually turning to tundra and forests of the North American and Eurasian landmasses. "Massive radiation, lethal," said River and everyone was silent. Then the first long range images of villages, towns, and the cities of the north came to the crew and they were sobered by what they saw. Simon called out the countries and names of cities as they passed as best the old map in the computer memory banks could tell him

Lifeless streets, vehicles sitting everywhere, some places burnt out, no electricity, no sign of life at all. And then the first large city came into view, St. Petersburg, Russia, Simon said it was called, and they all held their breathe in shocked silence as the once beautiful Venice of the North lay destroyed before their eyes, the blast radius of a nuclear detonation clear to see from such high orbit. Past Moscow, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Warsaw and on it went, all through the north, no signs of life, human or animal, with massive destruction of the major cities and high levels of radiation. And the trail of the ship around the cradle of humanity was sad indeed.

* * *

"What did you see?" Kaylee asked her friend as Inara sat on Kaylee's hammock.

"There was a lot of space junk, destroyed satellites mostly. Maybe rockets or ships in there. Hard to tell."

"And still no signs of life?" Kaylee asked with hope in her heart. But she was disappointed.

"No, nothing so far. It's like the whole world is dead. All those people, I still can't believe it."

"Ain't gonna be much of a home coming if no one is there to greet us."

"Why did they do it? Were they so blind to not realize they had no where else to go?" Inara said again, still not comprehending the reasoning behind war, any war.

"Don't know," replied Kaylee. "I was just a kid when our war came, just a teen when it ended. Didn't know much about it. Guess my folks tried to protect me from all that badness. Not much happened on our moon anyways. Most folks were for the Independents. Some boys left and never came back. Those that did were all hollowed out inside, like all the spirit was sucked out them. Kinda like the Capt'n…."

Kaylee stopped, thinking she shouldn't say anything bad about her Capt'n. "It's okay Kaylee. You're not the only one who noticed that about him."

"Yeah, guess so. Anyways, my daddy's factory was supposed to make uniforms for the Independents but then the Alliance occupied us and we had to scrape by doing odd jobs. That's when I got my start as mechanic. Daddy taught me everything he knew, and we managed to make enough till the war was over and his factory got busy again."

"What does he make?"

"Oh, just about anything. Mostly machinery parts. Lots for spaceships and the like. You name it, he can make it."

"It's good to have a skill," Inara said. "My war experience was a little different. I was in training."

"Really? You ain't that much older than me, are you?"

"Kaylee! A Companion's age is a closely guarded secret. I was old enough to be finished training near the end of the war and let's leave it at that. Of course, on Sihon, most supported the Alliance. In my heart I did, too."

"Don't ever let the Capt'n or Zoe hear that."

"Oh, Mal knows. In fact, I told him the first time we met, when I negotiated for my shuttle."

"No way! And he let you stay?!"

"Here I am."

"Yeah, here we are," said Kaylee forlornly and the two women went silent as they contemplated their situation.

Suddenly Inara remembered something. "What happened with Simon last night?"

"Don't rightly know. I slept in his bed for sure. Too bad he didn't also," Kaylee said with a glint in her eye. Inara grinned.

"He'll come around, you'll see."

"Yeah. I hope. He's running out of excuses. I know he doesn't want to drag me into his problems with the Alliance. Ain't no Alliance out here to bother him or River. That's the only good I seen so far in this situation." And Inara couldn't think of anything to add that was good about what was going on.

* * *

By mid-day ship's time they had seen most of North America, Europe, Russia, China, Korea, Japan and all were sobered by what they had witnessed on the long range scanners. Mal had Wash put Serenity in a geo-synchronous orbit over the eastern United States, the shattered megalopolis that stretch from New York to Miami a lifeless wasteland of broken concrete and steel.

They took a break and had some lunch that Inara had fixed. There was a chicken broth and vegetable soup and a salad and everyone ate but their hearts weren't into it. Kaylee went to the bridge for a quick view before eating and came back after ten minutes and the shock on her face was obvious to all. Zoe spelled Wash on the bridge while he ate and then Mal decided it was time to examine what they knew so far and time to make his crew realize what they had to do next. He was going to wait till they explored some more but the more he thought on it the more he knew it was best to let them really know how serious their situation was, not only because they had no idea how to get home, but also cause they were on a slim thread of existence in this barren corner of the verse.

"It's clear that Earth has destroyed itself. Nuclear war most likely and that's bad news for us cause with those high levels of radiation ain't much alive down there. No humans or animals, not a crop planted or a place with water safe enough to drink. Now we might find someplace that is shielded, protected from the radiation, which may have supplies, but that's a long shot in the dark and may come later than sooner."

Simon was looking at him with puzzlement. "You're taking about food and water…for us?"

"He is," said Book. "And rationing is the next step."

"You got that right, Shepherd," Mal said as he eyed them all. "We got food and water on board but we don't know when we'll re-supply. That means its time we tighten out belts. Unfortunately, that means no showers till we get a clean supply of water. Our life support can only make a little a day and if worse comes to worse we'll use it for drinking. But for now we store it and use what we have in the storage tanks for cooking and drinking only. Kaylee, check our storage tanks and see how much we got. Then we'll decide how much we can have per day."

"Yes, Capt'n," Kaylee replied. 'Lucky we topped up the tanks on that last moon. Should be mostly full."

"That's good news," Mal said. "Book, like you to inventory our food supply. Fresh food can't be rationed but the canned and packaged stuff can, so for now we eat the fresh since it'll go bad fastest. Put all the canned and packaged stuff in the food storage locker. I'm going change the combination on it and only you and I will know it Shepherd."

"Of course," Book said. "I'll get on it right after lunch."

"And don't let anyone bribe you or convince you otherwise to give out that combination," said Mal looking at the always hungry Jayne out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't worry Shepherd, I ain't going bribe you for the combination," said Jayne, wondering why Mal always picked him out to be the dishonest one in the crew. Well, maybe cause he usually was. "Ain't no point anyway. Money we got worthless out here."

"Is this really necessary, Mal? "began Simon. "I mean we haven't even explored the whole planet yet or the moon. There could be someone or something still alive."

"I hope there is," said Inara from where she sat sipping a cup of tea.

"If there is, then they won't have much to share with us by the state of things here abouts and I ain't looking to start stealing food till we have to," said Mal and that ended that subject.

"Wash, need a fuel count and an estimation on how many take offs and landings we got left in the boat."

"It'd be a rough guess Mal seeing as no one has ever landed on Earth before. I mean, from our end of the verse anyways," Wash began. "Every planet and world has its own characteristics, gravity and atmo being the two most variable factors."

"Give me your best guess."

"Will do," said Wash as he finished his coffee and headed toward the bridge.

"Jayne," Mal looked at the merc. "Want you to take stock of all weapons, even the stuff in the cargo bay."

Jayne looked at Book. "Told you them guns come in handy."

"Indeed. Expecting a war, Captain?' Book asked, the cargo in the hold still touching a raw nerve.

"Don't know. But sooner or later we want to take a look at what's on the moon and I got a notion if anyone survived this mess down on Earth that's where they are and they'll be armed to the teeth, too and more than a little paranoid about visitors, especially from somewhere that ain't here."

"We don't know how long ago this war was," Inara said. "Even if they got to the moon, they could be all dead hundreds of years ago."

"No food or water up there either," Kaylee said.

"There's something there, and I aim to find out. If there are survivors and they're on the moon, then they have the know how to survive there. Maybe they have the know how to send us home."

"Maybe they won't let us," said Book in a serious voice.

"What do mean "won't let us"?" asked Kaylee in surprise.

"We could represent resources to them that may be valuable," Book explained.

"Yeah, one beat up old spaceship sure worth a lot," said Jayne with sarcasm.

"She ain't beat up," Kaylee said under her breath and no one but Simon heard her but she didn't notice him looking at her so downcast was her mindset.

"It would be to them. If they have none," Mal said to Jayne. "We step careful around here and we'll come through this. Let's get on those jobs I asked you to do and then we'll finish exploring."

"Ah, what should we do, Mal?" Simon asked, referring to himself and River.

"I guess you should get some info on radiation sickness, see what we can do to protect ourselves if we have to leave ship and go foraging. River can help you with that. Check out our spacesuits and see what kind of protection they have. Also, might need some way to measure the radiation off ship, inside buildings and such. We got some atmo detectors. Maybe you can modify them to check for radiation levels. Could sure come in handy. Kaylee, give River a hand after you checked out the water supply."

"Course, Capt'n."

The lunch conversation broke up as Mal went to the bridge to fill Zoe and Wash in on his plans. The others sat for a long moment, each alone in his or her thoughts, the enormity of rationing sinking in. Food hadn't always been good or plentiful on Serenity, but there had always been something and somewhere to get more. But now, who knew where they'd find a way to re-supply.

"What about the oceans?" Inara asked suddenly. "They must have life!"

"Possible," said River. "The radiation wouldn't penetrate to the depths."

They all brightened at this news. Then Jayne put a damper on it. "Anyone got fishing experience?"

"With a rod and reel," said Book. "But never in an ocean."

"We'll find a way," Simon said with hope. "We've got to."

"I hate fish," said River and that gave everyone a small smile and they felt a little better. Book got up first and moved to the cupboards and started pulling out cans and packages and moving them to the main food storage locker. Inara started to help without Book needing to ask, her being the only one Mal didn't assign a job to, and the rest moved off to do their tasks.

* * *

Kaylee went to the engine room and got a ratchet for opening the panel at the top of the stairs where the two shuttles were situated. This panel led under the fore hall and allowed her to examine the two large water tanks that were situation just forward of the shuttles, one on each side of the ship. There was a gauge on the bridge that could tell how much water was there but Kaylee wanted to double check the level gauges on each tank and make sure there were no internal leaks. She also engaged the life support water condenser to siphon off its product to the left tank. It could make about three or four liters a day, mostly moisture from their breath and from the ship when they entered and left atmo, due to temperature changes and internal condensation. Four liters was barely enough for drinking and a little bit of cooking but definitely not for showering or waste removal. The Capt'n hadn't thought on waste removal but Kaylee did and knew they'd have to impose some rules on that, too, since each toilet flush drew water from the main tanks, sending it to the septic tank, which was vented into space about once a week..

Each tank held about one thousand liters, two thousand total. As it drained out air under pressure was pumped in to make sure the water didn't slosh around when the water came out. Sloshing water could throw the ship's center of gravity off and make Serenity unstable in atmo flight. The air came from two pressure tanks which could also act as an auxiliary life support in an emergency. Unfortunately when they had that explosion, the auxiliary had also been knocked out and there was no way Kaylee could access the air tanks. She had been thinking many weeks now on how she could get to the tanks in case of such an accident in the future. The air on the old Firefly was recycled, scrubbed clean of carbon dioxide and then pumped back into the ship through vents located everywhere. The scrubbers used a filter that lasted about a week and then had to be changed. Kaylee had a supply of carbon dioxide scrubber filters that could last a month but then they would be in serious trouble unless they found a way to recycle them or get a steady supply of fresh air.

She thought back on the water situation. If they used twenty liters a day, which was going to be difficult with nine people on board to use any less and maybe that was even impossible, then it would last one hundred days, little more than three months. Maybe forty liters was more likely, unless they took to stop flushing the toilets, maybe using buckets and expelling the waste directly into space through the airlock. Disgusting, but maybe necessary. That would be fifty days. That wasn't too bad, but in one month they'd be dead anyway from carbon dioxide poisoning if they couldn't leave the ship. And they'd be awful smelly too, Kaylee thought as she went to the bridge to report to the Capt'n.

* * *

Simon and River went below to the spacesuit container to examine the suits and Jayne gave them a hand and told them everything he knew about the suits that he had used many times. Simon had his one experience in them when they had found that derelict ship the Reavers had attacked and didn't care to repeat his experience, not in space anyway.

"Lots of protection from radiation," said Jayne as he held up his orange suit.

"Made for space walks," said River. "Less direct radiation in space unless you are close to a sun."

"You mean they're no good for walking around Earth?" Jayne asked.

"We need more accurate measurements of the Earth's radiation content," River replied.

"Seems like it would suffice for an external exploration," Simon said, looking at the suit carefully as Jayne held it "You wouldn't be in danger of radiation poison for short off ship trips."

Jayne grunted. "Fine saying that here on board our nice safe ship, Doc, but I figure I'm gonna be one of the ones wearing this thing outside so I'd like you to be a might more sure."

He thrust the suit into Simon's hands and walked toward the gun piles and the clipboard with the list he had made earlier of what they had. He looked back at Simon and River talking about the suits and examining them. These two eggheads got on his nerves, especially the crazy one, but he guessed he had to depend on them now, so held back any biting remarks he had. Besides, they knew he ratted them out on Ariel, so he didn't want to antagonize them and have them tell the rest of the crew.

* * *

On the bridge Mal surprised Zoe and Wash by ordering him to immediately start exploring again.

"What about River, sir?" Zoe asked.

"You take her station. Was a bit too crowded up here earlier. I got them all doing something, keep their minds busy so they don't go dwelling too much on what's ahead of us."

"Good idea," said Wash. 'Cause I sure hate dwelling on my own death."

"Wash, talk like that around the others and I'll shoot you myself and you'll never have to worry about your death again," Mal said and Wash wasn't sure if he was kidding or serious.

"Husband, don't get like that on me or I'll shoot you first before the Captain has a chance," Zoe added and Wash knew they weren't kidding now.

"Alright, alright, flying the ship, Wash is flying the ship. Sheesh.!"

"Ain't about you Wash, you know I like you fine and Zoe must love you cause she married you. But we gotta keep the doomsday talk to a minimum. Case you forgot we got Kaylee who is already thinking on home and her father's birthday and River who ain't all there when she doesn't have her shots. Even Jayne seemed to crack a little at the seams when he learned about this wormhole. Shepherd's talking about his God sending us here and Inara is talking about hope. Simon's holding together so far cause he's got his sister to think on and Kaylee too I'm sure. They're all spooked and so are we but we gotta hold it together. I'm depending on you two for a lot."

"You can count us, sir," Zoe said.

"Sorry, Mal, just thinking…"

Mal interrupted him. "Don't think on it. You know which guys got killed in the war? The ones that thought they were gonna die. Me and Zoe and Monty and the other survivors just thought about killing purple bellies and finding a place to sleep and something to fill our guts. That's why we survived."

Zoe felt a little bad about what she had said to her man. "Sorry, baby. But we can't become a mob of individuals. We gotta pull as one."

"I got it. Teamwork. As one. Keep my mouth shut," he said without looking at her and Zoe knew she'd hear more from him later. This was another case of Wash and his civilian background clashing with Zoe and her military background

Wash was silent as they flew around, still at high orbit, getting a wide view. After a long while of silence, suddenly Zoe looked up from the scanners.

"Got something on the infrared," she said, a bit of excitement in her voice. They were over sub-Sahara Africa, and it was nighttime. Through a wide area the scanners were picking up pinpoints of infrared heat signatures. Thousands of them.

"Looks like some heat source," said Mal. "Maybe fires."

"They aren't together. It's not a big fire but many separate ones."

"Campfires," Wash said absently and Mal knew he was right.

"Survivors," said Zoe.

Wash looked at them. "But how could they survive? The radiation."

"Radiation levels?" Mal asked.

"Weaker, perhaps not lethal." Zoe said. "Hard to know since we don't know the meteorological patterns, but maybe the southern hemispheres wasn't as badly affected."

"There's definitely something there," Mal said as they flew by and continued over the Indian Ocean. On islands they saw more infrared heat signatures and even a few on Sri Lanka and the extreme south of India. On over Southeast Asia they saw more and then on the scattered islands of the south Pacific more still. Australia was just over the horizon, out of view for the time. They were soon back into daylight as the sun rose before them.

"And I'm sure there's more survivors in other places," Mal said.

"Survivors?" said Kaylee as she stood at the top of the bridge stairs. 'You found someone!"

'Hold on a sec little Kaylee. We ain't found much yet, just some fires," Mal said quickly so she wouldn't scream the news through the ship.

"Campfires," Wash said with a grin and Mal just sighed as Kaylee broke into a big smile.

"Campfires! That's so…shiny! That means people, and cooking and food!"

Mal couldn't feel as excited but he was happy to see his little mechanic smiling and he hadn't heard a "shiny" from her in a while. What the hell, he thought. They all need a little hope right now. He grabbed the mic.

"This is the captain. Appears we have spotted something that could be a sign of survivors," and that's all he said but within minutes the bridge was jammed with the whole crew. Mal explained it all and they were just coming back into the night side of Earth. Simon told them it was Africa, then on through the night till they were over Australia and they saw more infrared heat signatures lights.

"Campfires," said River with certainty and Wash grinned and looked at Zoe and he felt better and she smiled back at him. She wouldn't have shot him, but he needed to know this weren't no game they were playing here.

"Survivors," Inara said and she reached out and held Kaylee's hand and squeezed it and they both bubbled with excitement.

Mal looked to Simon.

"How could they survive?"

"It must be the weather patterns. The radiation, the lethal doses, must be confined to the north. Look at South America. Only a few cities were leveled. Surely many people died down here also. But some managed to survive. Mostly those in isolated areas. And most likely those already living a primitive existence, living off the land, knowing how to survive without modern technology."

"Ok," Mal said. "Sounds logical."

"What's' the plan, Captain," Book asked the question they all wanted to ask.

Mal thought for a moment before speaking. "I know you all want to take a look see. But we ain't in dire straights yet for food and water. And we gotta think on getting home above all. So we're going somewhere else first."

They all looked at him with puzzled expressions, all except River who knew where they were going first.

"The moon," she said and the crew looked out the windows as Serenity once more went into darkness and the moon rose into view.


	4. Chapter 4

_Serenity heads for the moon with all hands hoping for answers to their questions and solutions to their problems._

**The Return- Chapter 4**

Serenity cleared the debris field of shattered satellites and Wash set a course for Earth's single moon. No one had protested when Mal made the decision to head for the moon because it became clear that the only possible chance they had of returning to their home quadrant of the verse was on that moon. There were few signs of life on Earth and the ones they saw showed that the survivors of the nuclear holocaust were living a meager existence in the most remote areas. The scientific skills and know how to help them would not be found there. The moon, however, offered some hope as an electrical presence had been picked up by Serenity's sensors. As Wash plotted the course River turned all sensors toward the moon.

"How long till we arrive?" Mal asked Wash.

"At top speed, about one hour," Wash replied after a quick calculation.

"Make it slower," Mal said. "I want a chance to examine things and think about them and give everyone a chance to have a rest before we set down and explore whatever it is that's on that moon. Kaylee, back to 25% power."

"On the way," Kaylee said as she left the bridge and made her way to the engine room. She didn't totally agree with the Capt'n's decision to leave the Earth so soon. Maybe someone down there could tell them want had happened. But she knew that getting home had to be their top priority and the moon seemed the only place that might offer any chance of that.

River stayed on the bridge with Wash while the rest of the crew returned to the tasks Mal had assigned them. More than one took a last look at the moon before they departed the bridge. Questions lay heavy on every mind. What was happening on the Earth? How long ago was the war? Why was the radiation still lethal? Could they get food and water from the Earth if necessary? What or who was on the moon? And above all, could they get home?

* * *

Zoe and Mal stood on the catwalk overlooking the cargo bay, talking over their future plans as Jayne continued to examine the guns below.

"Wash pissed at you?" Mal started off. Zoe just chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sure he is. But he'll get over it, as usual. He just needs to talk to let off his worries, but he understands what you said. Don't know about the rest. I'm worried about Kaylee and Inara."

"Yeah. Crew has plenty of experience in tough spots, but none like this. Kaylee will do her job, but she's already thinking we ain't gonna get home and that's bad. Inara seems shell shocked more than the rest of us about what happened on Earth. First time seeing such devastation for her and many of the others I'm guessing. Book and Jayne, they been in lots of tough spots, and we both know that's true for the Shepherd as much as Jayne. River, well, who knows what goes on in her mind. Seems fine for now. Simon, he's tougher now than when he first came on board. He'll stand it. In fact, think he's enjoying himself a bit, intellectual fellow like him being one of the first to see Earth in 500 years."

"Be a hell of story if…when we get back."

"Hell of a story. If anyone believes us."

"Can't seem to recall you and me in anything so…crazy …ourselves, sir."

"This one has its uniqueness for sure but it's same as any other. Keep flying, keep safe. That's all that we gotta keep remembering and we'll pull through."

"They're going to look to you for a lot, sir."

"When haven't they? Maybe this time they'll all listen."

They were silent as they watched Jayne examining a box of hand grenades.

"Glad we got this stuff now. You never know," Mal said, breaking the silence.

"We got a plan, sir?"

"Fly by real slow, let the sensors sweep, then find a nice place to land, me and Jayne and Simon do an EVA."

"Simon?"

"Need you to stay on board case of trouble. Simon goes cause he's got the smarts for something like this and won't go woolly like his sis."

"He ain't too fond of space walks, if you recall, sir."

"I ain't asking him, I'm telling him. He'll do the job."

"Sounds like a plan, sir."

Just then Kaylee approached from the upper stairs.

"Hey, Capt'n, Zoe. Got those water figures for you," she said as she handed Mal a clipboard and Mal looked it over for a few seconds.

"Two thousand liters. That's a lot. Twenty to forty liters a day. Tell you what Kaylee. Let's leave things as normal for 24 hours and we'll see how much has gone down after that. But still no showers or washing clothes and cleaning anything except dishes for now. Anyone wants a bath make it a sponge bath with no more than half a liter."

"Sounds good to me, Capt'n. I'll tell the crew," Kaylee said and then took back her clipboard and went off to the upper level again.

"She seemed fine," Zoe said as Kaylee left.

"Long as they're busy they'll be fine."

Then Wash's voice came out of the intercom. "Mal, Zoe, need you on the bridge."

* * *

"It's a base," said River as Zoe and Mal peered over her shoulder at the long range visual scanners. They could clearly see in one of the moon's craters in its northern hemisphere several boxy structures and what looked like a landing area for some kind of craft. They were still too far to tell for sure, but it was definitely man made.

"Now we know where the electrical background is coming from," Zoe said.

"Question is, is anybody home," Wash said as they all peered at the moon growing larger in the windows of Serenity.

* * *

Simon was in the infirmary, looking through his encyclopedia and a few of the medical textbooks he managed to pick up over the months, checking for information on radiation sickness. Not having the Cortex was becoming a real inconvenience and Simon never realized how much he depended on it till it was gone. He knew the Cortex was the grandchild of the Earth's original wired computer systems called the Internet that went totally wireless in the early 21st century and was then carried into space by Simon's forefathers. They took it a step further, bringing all the knowledge of the Earth with them and refining the wireless system over a few hundred years so the Cortex could be accessed from almost any place, in space or planet side. Wave technology was part of the Cortex but still had some kinks to work out. Calls could be simultaneous if within a certain distance but after that they took time to send and receive until at extreme distances one received them like email of old.

Simon was taking notes on radiation sickness and thinking on how long they could be exposed on Earth and was just wondering how they could measure the radiation levels accurately from space when Kaylee entered the infirmary, holding her clipboard.

"Hey, Simon," she said and he gave a start, a bit from not expecting to be interrupted and a lot cause of who was interrupting him. They hadn't had a chance to talk since Kaylee's drug induced remarks of the previous evening.

"Oh, Kaylee. Hi."

"Hi, back at you. Ah, Capt'n wants me to tell everyone to use water like you normally would but no showers or cleaning stuff for now. OK?"

"Oh, that's a bit of good news. Except for the shower part. I'll tell River."

"Already saw her on the bridge. Saw everyone already. You're the last one."

Then came an awkward moment and they both just looked at each other and then began speaking at almost the same time.

"About last night…." Kaylee started and Simon jumped in right away to deflect any questions about what she had said to him.

"How are you feeling?"

"What? Oh, the sleeping dose. Yeah, guess it was a bit too much."

"Sorry about that. Guess I misjudged your weight."

Kaylee's sunny smile was gone in an instant and Simon knew he had stepped into it again.

"Misjudged my weight? You mean you think I'm…fat?" she said in an indignant tone.

God, not again, Simon thought as he rushed to explain himself. "No, no. It's, I mean, I have everyone's weight and height in my logs and, and so I gave you the dose based on your weight and I gave you too much."

He could still see she was puzzled and a bit angry.

"A real gentleman doesn't say anything about a woman's weight,' she said in a huff as her face turned red. She was about to leave and Simon leaped to her side and took her right arm. Kaylee's face was hot and she was burning with embarrassment cause the man she wanted more than any other was saying she was…fat!

His touch on her bare arm felt like fire as she turned to face him. They were so close, inches apart, Simon's face full of sorry and regret and Kaylee knew he was trying to apologize and she let her anger cool a bit.

"No, Kaylee, it means you lost weight," Simon final got out in a pleading tone. "I gave you the dose based on your recorded weight, not actual. It was a bit too much. The dose I mean."

"Oh," Kaylee said in a small voice. "I thought you meant... OH!" and she broke into a grin. "I lost some weight!"

"Yes. I'd say about two or three kilos," Simon commented as he stepped back a bit and scanned her up and down and then he looked embarrassed. "Sorry." He let go of her arm and they could both feel the heat from the others body and the air crackled with sexual tension

"So you don't think I'm fat?" she asked, teasing a bit.

"No, not at all. In fact, you're very…beautiful." Kaylee's face lit up with joy and her heart pounded so loud she thought the whole verse heard it.

"Simon, did I just hear you right?" she managed to gasp. "Did you say I'm…beautiful?"

"Well, you are," he said quietly as he gazed into her eyes and Kaylee could see the affection he held for her in his deep blue eyes. "Kaylee, I'm no good with words. I don't know how to say it…I…want to, well, want I mean, is, I feel, its…time that we did something….about, about our feelings…its been eight months since I came here, and…I know how you feel…last night you made it quite obvious….and I feel the same…so we should…I mean…..not that…" he stumbled for the right words and Kaylee just put a finger to his lips.

"Shsssh. Don't say anything. I know what to do," she said and then she did what she had longed to do and knew she had to do cause the handsome doctor would never cross those final few steps to happiness. She took away her finger, put her arms on his shoulders and kissed Simon.

His lips were warm and soft and all she had imagined them to be and more. At first he was too shocked to respond but then he did and then he touched her face and their lips parted and joined again and the kiss was long and deep and full of the passion that was ready to explode from both their bodies.

"Oh, Kaylee, how I longed to kiss you,' he managed to whisper as his arms engulfed her lithe form.

"Don't stop,' she said as they embraced and held each other for an eternity, lips entwined and bodies feeling the heat and lust building in the other. Finally, Kaylee broke the kiss and took his hand.

"It's time," she said, her eyes glistening with adoration and desire for this man, and he didn't say a word and allowed her to lead him to his room, Kaylee closing the door behind them.

She turned to him and he held her and looked into her eyes.

"Are you sure?" he said, a gentleman to the end and she said nothing but kissed him and put her arms around his waist and started caressing his back and her hands went down to his buttocks. He flinched and then smiled.

"I guess so," he gasped and then she looked down at the front of his pants.

"Seems your ready," she said with a grin and she pushed him back onto the bed and they started to remove their clothes, Kaylee taking of her boots, Simon his shoes, then helping each other get their tops off, kissing, giggling, and being a little shy and a little bit awkward but still enjoying this moment they had both long wanted.

Of course, Mal ruined it for them.

"Simon," came the captain's voice through the intercom system. "Need you and your encyclopedia on the bridge."

If Kaylee's thoughts could have killed someone Malcolm Reynolds would have dropped dead in an instant. Her brain screamed in frustration and the madness of living with no privacy.

"No, no, no,' said Kaylee said in a rising tone as Simon froze." She kissed him again. "Not now, not this time, I have you, it's our time." And she continued to kiss him but he didn't respond, his mind already on the bridge.

"Kaylee, please stop," and his words hurt her more than he could ever know. "Sorry, it's just…"

The look on her face stopped him, sadness and hurt that he never wanted to see on Kaylee's face again. And then he kissed her again, hating that look, willing it to go away, saying to hell with Malcolm Reynolds. They lay entwined in each others arms, half undressed, enjoying the few seconds they knew they would have before the voice came again.

"Doc, drop whatever your doing and get to the bridge. NOW!"

This time Kaylee stopped. She pouted, her bottom lip sticking out. "It's not fair."

"I know. Wait for me?" he asked and Kaylee smiled.

"Forever," she said as they kissed once more and then Simon got up and fixed his clothes. Kaylee looked at the front of his pants and nothing had changed.

"Ah, don't think you should go to the bridge with ah, .."

Simon looked at her in puzzlement and then realized what she was talking about and he was clearly embarrassed.

"Oh. That's your fault."

She smiled at him. "Gee, guess I am to blame."

She ran her hand over the bulge in his pants, licked her lips.

"Oh my, Doctor," she sighed, imagining what he looked like with nothing between her and his body. Simon sighed also and flinched at the same time.

"God, you're driving me crazy. I have…"

"SIMON!" came Mal's voice booming through the intercom. That snapped Simon out of his trance of pleasure that Kaylee had induced. He leaped for the intercom next to his bed.

"Sorry, Mal, ah, call of nature, be right there."

"Step on it," came Mal's voice a little less harshly.

Kaylee lay on the bed, her boots on the floor, her overalls zipped down, her t-shirt off, her bra barely containing her lovely form, her golden brown locks framing her lovely face, her green eyes dazzling him with desire.

"Please, wait," he gasped as he kissed her again.

"Naked as the day I came into the world," she teased, and Simon thought he would die as he quickly ran from the room and toward the bridge.

* * *

Mal gave him one of his evil looks as Simon finally got there, thankfully with less noticeable arousal than a few minutes earlier. River was looking at him and grinning and Simon knew she knew something was up.

"What's going on?" he managed to get out in a strangled voice.

Wash and Zoe looked at each other a bit surprised and then to Simon.

"You OK, Doc?" Zoe said as she grinned at him. He was flushed and a bead of sweat was on his forehead. Zoe had seen that look before and knew something was up with Simon and someone, a someone who could only be Kaylee.

"Ah, yeah, just was, you know, in the bathroom," Simon lied, quickly wiping his forehead. "What's up?"

"We think we see a base on the moon," Mal said, oblivious to what the other crew noticed about Simon. "What does our history of Earth tell us about this?"

Simon was immediately at River's scanners. She could feel the heat from his mind and body and the smell of Kaylee was all over him. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and whispered.

"About time, brother."

Simon managed a little grin and tried to concentrate on the task at hand.

"I was about to send out a search party," Mal said, overhearing River's comment and misunderstanding.

"Sorry," Simon said again, turning his attention back to the scanner. "Yes, definitely human. Looks like four, maybe five buildings on the surface. I've been reading about the moon in my encyclopedia and there is no mention of any base prior to the departure of our ancestors."

"It's there alright," said Mal. "And we're going to have a look at it up close and personal."

"Moon gravity is one-sixth Earth's so we need to maintain on board artificial gravity when we land," Simon began. "As for weapons we have, don't know what will work or not."

"Weapons we have pretty useless in space," Mal commented, thinking on who they'd meet once on the moon.

"Gunpowder weapons operate on a chemical explosion which produces gas which expels the projectile, needing oxygen to operate, and will not work in the vacuum of space," River said from her station. "If they did fire the kinetic energy of the explosion of the cartridge would propel the user backwards with equal force, possibly causing the user to be ejected from the surface and into space, since gravity is much less."

They were all a little surprised at this little speech from the normally quiet, monosyllabic River.

"OK," Wash finally said, looking at his wife. "Leave the guns behind, baby."

"No, we take them." Mal stated. "We get inside those buildings might have a need for them."

"What about grenades?" asked Zoe, looking to River for an answer.

"Grenades will explode and send out any fragments but the concussive effect will be minimal in a vacuum," River commented. "I don't know why I know this."

"Ah, so," Simon began. "Arms are to be taken, but used with care."

"What about the suits, Doc?" Mal asked. "We mostly use them for salvage on derelicts. Never been this close to a sun before."

"The spacesuits are quite suitable for such an excursion," Simon said. "Of course, that's what they're made for. They should offer adequate protection from the ultraviolet rays and radiation for many hours."

"Good," said Mal with a grin. "Cause you're coming with us."

* * *

"Appears we've been appointed culinary masters," Book said to Inara as they sat at the dinning room table, going over the list of food they had and thinking on what kind of meals they could prepare.

Inara enjoyed the older man's company, not least because she never had to think about him thinking about having her in his bed. Jayne was always giving her looks, and she knew what thoughts accompanied those looks. Wash and Simon couldn't help themselves despite their feelings for other women on the ship, and Inara felt a little flattered that her beauty could attract attention from two men would were clearly in love with other women, despite Simon's inability to profess that love to Kaylee. With Mal, it was the opposite, a struggle for Inara to keep her mind from thinking about seeing him in her bed.

"Not much else for me to do," Inara replied. 'Wonder if I'll ever have another customer."

"I'm sure the captain wouldn't mind if you never did," Book said and the shock on Inara's face was clear to see.

"Shepherd Book! Now what makes you think Malcolm Reynolds cares what I do for a living?"

"Oh, I don't know. He seems smitten with you in an…how shall I put this delicately…an odd manner."

Inara felt herself get a little flush. "I, ah, what do you mean?"

"The first time I came on board Serenity he seemed to go out of his way to insult your profession and you, yet at the same time he has been reluctant to have you on the job, so to speak. And then there was his duel with Atherton Wing."

"But that was because Mal struck him."

"Which was because of you, the way Kaylee tells the story."

"She's not wrong," Inara said with a sigh. "Shepherd, I'm going to tell you something but you must keep it a secret."

"Confession is always kept in confidence."

"This is not a confession, well, not really, but…anyway, I was planning to leave Serenity before this, all this, happened."

Book gave her a long look, not unkind, but Inara felt he was judging her. "It's not my place to tell you how to run your life, Inara, but if you are leaving because you have feelings for the captain, than you are running away from something that will never be over."

"Oh, I think I will get over Malcolm Reynolds in a hurry," she replied with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

Book smiled. "There it is again. Your attempts to deflect your true feelings for the man."

Inara felt a little put off. "He's a scoundrel, a petty thief, a killer, a rebel, he's everything I despise in the verse."

"If you say so," Book answered, unbelieving. "Then why are you leaving?"

Inara didn't have an answer, just stared at the table. "I…I…" and she looked at Shepherd and she knew he knew.

"It's wonerful to be in love," he said and Inara thought she would cry but held control of herself.

"He hates me," she finally said.

"No, he doesn't. He hates your job. The captain is all you said he is but he is also a noble man whose life and beliefs have been tossed and turned on their head. You think on it for a bit and you'll see I'm right."

"I have thought on it and I know you're right. What can I do?"

"Well, we are far from home and in a dangerous place but we have each other for comfort and support. Except Mal. He's in command and that is a lonely place indeed. If ever he needed some one to comfort him, now would be the time."

"I don't know what to do."

Book almost laughed. "And I thought you were trained in how to make a man feel comfortable."

Inara smiled also. "Well trained. And experienced."

Book was now feeling a bit uncomfortable. "Ah, yes. So now about dinner tonight?"

Inara laid a hand on his arm. "Thank you, Shepherd. Sometimes I just need to talk to someone."

"As do I, as do all of us. Now, what about dinner?"

* * *

Kaylee lay in Simon's bed, her mind reeling with want had happened in such a short time. Her body was alive with sensations she hadn't felt in too long a time. God, it had been so nice to kiss him and hold him and touch him. She wanted him inside her and his mouth and lips all over her and she couldn't wait for him to come back from whatever the Capt'n wanted.

She stood and removed the rest of her clothes and stretched like a cat, a smile on her face. Simon's robe lay across a chair and she picked it up and smelled it, smelling him and it was so nice and soft she decided to put in on. It was big for her and she felt engulfed by its softness. Kaylee looked around his room and decided to be nosy.

His clothes were neatly folded in his open suitcase and his toiletries were on a small shelf. Books and note pads lay in a pile in one corner and Kaylee could see most were medical texts. On top was the copy of The History of the Earth That Was Travelers that Kaylee had given him many weeks ago. She had bought it on Phoenix Moon where the Shepherd had been visiting the Bathgate Abbey while they pulled off the Ariel job. Simon and River had so few chances to get off ship, Kaylee decided to buy them some gifts, the book for him and a sketch pad and pencils for River.

And that was it, all he owned in the verse, and then Kaylee looked around at the room's walls and her mind stretched out to the rest of her beloved ship and realized that for all of them, this was all they had in the verse now. A tug of sadness started to creep into her happiness and just when she began to feel despair again Zoe's voice boomed out of the intercom calling everyone to the dining area.

* * *

As Kaylee entered the dining area, she could smell something wonderful cooking and spotted Book by the stove, stirring a pot of something, adding a bit of spice to it. Everyone was there except Wash, Kaylee being the last since she had to get dressed again. Suddenly she felt self-conscious, as she spotted Simon sitting next to his sister. He smiled at her and she smiled back, almost turning red and she noticed Zoe looking at her and River looking, too. She was glad the seat next to Simon was empty and just grabbed it as Jayne was about to sit down with a cup of coffee.

"Hey," he said as she almost bumped his coffee cup and then he sat in another chair.

"Sorry," Kaylee replied and then she was next to Simon and she couldn't help but beam.

"Ok, we're all here now," Mal began. "Need your reports on everything and then we'll talk about the next move. Kaylee?"

She was looking at Simon and hadn't heard the captain.

"Kaylee!" Mal said a little louder and she snapped out of it.

"Oh, yes, Capt'n?"

"The water situation? Did you talk to everyone?"

"Ah, yeah, everyone knows."

"Good. Jayne?"

The big merc smiled. "We got plenty of firepower on board, rifles, machine guns, semi-autos, and on and on, so no worries there, enough for a small army. Box of grenades, too, plus all the usual weapons we have on Serenity. Only problem is no lasers so space fighting is out of the question."

"Lets hope there's no fighting at all," Mal said as he next turned to Book.

"How's the food situation, Shepherd?"

Book walked over from the kitchen. "There's plenty of packaged and canned food, all locked away. Mostly vegetables, soups, noodles, some tins of fish and meat, but not many, dehydrated potatoes, dehydrated fruit, canned fruit, canned beans and lentils, and powdered eggs. We have about three kilos of oatmeal. Some powdered milk. Also about twenty kilos of rice. Some jams and crackers. Plenty of spices, some flour, sugar, plenty of tea, some coffee. As for fresh food there's still some frozen chicken and pork in the freezer, about a dozen fish, and some bacon. Two dozen eggs, four kilos of potatoes, two kilos of carrots, kilo of celery, some heads of lettuce, two kilos of tomatoes, some peppers. About two liters of fresh milk. Enough preserved food for about three weeks, three meals a day. The fresh should last another week, so that gives us a month. It won't be very appetizing at the end but we'll have something."

"Sounds like a lot but with nine people it'll go fast," Mal said. "But now we know Earth has some survivors and there's bound to be some source of food there so we can breath a little easier. None the less, no snacking or self cooking till we know more. Okay, your turn Simon?"

Simon nodded, glad to have something to do to take his mind off Kaylee being so close to him.

"If we get to Earth we need to do some accurate measurements of the radiation levels. At less than 100 rads we'll be safe but anything higher and we risk cancers in the long run at the lower levels and death within days at the highest levels. The war couldn't have been too long ago or the radiation would have dispersed by now. However, there is no historically precedent for such large scale destruction and the fallout could be trapped in the upper atmosphere, circulating around the Earth. The places where the bombs dropped will be hot for many years. The northern hemisphere is obviously still too dangerous as we've already observed. Our spacesuits would protect anyone from radiation for short intervals, say, no more than an hour. Anyone coming back on board would have to be decontaminated though and I don't know how we could do that safely."

"We'll think on that more when and if we have to land on Earth," Mal said and then he turned to Zoe. "Time to tell them."

Zoe looked at them all. "We found a base on the moon."

A moment of stunned silence was followed by a flurry of questions.

"A base? What kinda base?" Jayne asked but before Zoe could answer more comments came flying.

"People are on the moon?" said Kaylee with hope.

"They must know something," Inara continued.

"Then why haven't they contacted us?" Book said putting a damper on their short lived joy.

"We don't know," Mal offered. "No signs of life yet except for some buildings and that electrical presence."

"And what looks like a landing area, perhaps for spacecraft. It could be abandoned," Simon said. "But we'll know more when we check it out."

"Don't say "we" Doc," Jayne quipped. "Since you ain't included in the "we" that'll be going off ship."

"He's going," said Zoe and they all looked at her and then Simon. Jayne almost laughed.

"What in rutting hell for?"

"Cause he's got the brains you and I ain't got together, Jayne," Mal said and then he noticed a worried look on Kaylee's face as she was looking at Simon.

"It'll be fine," Simon said to her.

"You ain't all that good with space walking," she said, concern in her voice.

"It's more like moon walking," Simon said, trying to ease her and his own fears.

"It's safe," said River. "It's fun. I'll go."

"No gorramn way," Jayne said looking in fear at River. "If she goes…"

"River's not going," Zoe said in exasperation.

"Doc should stay on board, too" Jayne stated strongly. "He ain't no good in a fight and he gets the willies just putting on a space suit."

Mal gave Jayne his "I'm in charge look". "He's going and that's that. And so are you and me, Jayne."

"What else is new?" Jayne shot back.

Mal gave him a stone cold look. "Jayne, ain't got time or inclination to argue any points with you or any others. You're either with this crew or not."

Jayne got a cold feeling remembering the last time Mal had something along those lines, the time after the Ariel heist when he had woken up inside the airlock. "I'm with this crew Mal, you know that. Just…he's goes woolly out there…"

"He won't," said Kaylee fiercely and Jayne was taken aback by this comment. "You think he's weak but he ain't."

"Kaylee…" Simon started but she cut him off.

"No, I want him to hear this, all of you to hear this. Simon's taken on the whole Alliance to protect River, gave up all he has. Got more guts than you'll ever have Jayne Cobb."

"That's enough," Mal said fiercely. "Kaylee, Jayne, don't need no fights among crew. Not now, not in this place and situation we're in."

"Sorry," Kaylee said in a small voice and realized she might have gone too far. Simon was clearly embarrassed by all this and she felt bad.

Mal looked at the mercenary. "Jayne?"

He looked down at his coffee cup and mumbled 'sorry".

"Alright. I need Zoe on board in case of trouble and I need Simon to know what is what. End of discussion," Mal said and he stood and went toward the bridge. "Call me when dinner's ready."

After a moment River got up and followed Mal to the bridge.

"Best check the engine," Kaylee said quietly and stood and went toward the aft hall, Simon's eyes following her and then he stood to go after her.

Jayne looked at Simon. "Need a woman to fight your battles, Doc?"

Simon smiled. "I seem to recall a discussion you and I had on Bellerophon…"

Jayne quickly cut him off, a worried look to his face. "Ain't no need to bring that up."

Zoe, Inara and Book glanced at the two men. "What's this about?" Zoe asked.

"Ain't nothing," Jayne quickly said as he stood. "I got things to do." He went forward to his bunk as Simon went aft to the engine room.

Zoe and Inara began to set the table for dinner as Book continued cooking. "I think something happened between Simon and Kaylee," Zoe said.

Inara gasped. "No! When?"

"This afternoon. Captain had to call him three times to get him to the bridge and when he arrived he was all flustered and sweaty."

"That could mean anything…or not," Inara said with a grin. "She was awful fierce in defending him just now, too."

"God, I hope something happened," Zoe answered. "They make such a cute couple."

"Yes, they do," said Book. "And we could certainly all do with a little more happiness on this ship."

* * *

Kaylee really had nothing to do in the engine room and just needed to get away from them all for a few moments. She felt bad about the way she defended Simon, clearly embarrassing him. That wasn't good, not after what they had started earlier. She smiled as she remembered that and then he was there.

"Hi," Simon said and she turned and jumped into his arms without any hesitation, almost knocking him off his feet.

"Oh, Simon, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of the others."

"It's all right. Nothing bad happened, so there's no need to apologize."

She looked at him. "You're not mad?"

"No, why would I be? Jayne had to be put in his place and I'm glad you did so."

"Just worried about you, going outside, don't want nothing bad to happen," she said, her voice choking a bit. "Just got to…to where I want us to be."

"Nothing bad will happen," he reassured her and gave her a little kiss, which soon turned into another and then they were engulfed once more by desire.

"Dinner's ready," came Zoe's shout down the hall and Kaylee and Simon stopped kissing and turned but she was gone.

"Do you think she saw us?" Kaylee asked.

"Maybe. I think she already suspects something. I know River knows about us."

"There's an 'us' now?" Kaylee asked with hope.

He looked into her eyes searching for an answer and knew she wanted there to be an 'us'. "I can't stop thinking about you. You're in my dreams and my waking moments. If there is any other clue as to an 'us' I don't know what it is."

"I want us to be 'us'," Kaylee said as they kissed again. "And a whole lot more."

Simon hugged her and wanted to tell her he loved her but thought it was too soon and would when the time was right.

Kaylee wanted to say the same but thought she would scare him away so kept those words for a special time she knew would come soon.

* * *

After dinner it was time to get their first look at the moon up close. The images of the base were clearer now and they could see equipment and even what looked like a spacecraft outside, but nothing as familiar to them. Wash flew Serenity in a circular pattern over the base but they were too high up to get a clear picture. There were five buildings in a circular pattern surrounding a central platform which looked like a place to land a spaceship. The buildings were flat white in color and almost blended into the moon's grayish background colors. They were connected by enclosed passageways by the looks of things. All the buildings were of the same size and design, approximately like a two story house.

Outside the perimeter of the base was the spaceship, about half the size of Serenity and it looked damaged, near the back area of what looked like engines was all blackened and twisted metal.

"Where you want me to put her down?" Wash asked Mal.

"Inside the crater but outside the perimeter, near that ship. Find a nice flat place and get ready to take off at a moment's notice."

"Landing sequence started, VTOLs coming on."

Serenity came in over the base and then hovered as they slowly descended to the surface of the moon, a cloud of dust being raised as the VTOLs took them into a slow stop about fifty meters from the silent spaceship.

"Serenity has landed," Wash said and Mal patted him on the shoulder.

"Good work."

* * *

In the cargo bay Mal, Simon and Jayne got suited up with Kaylee, Zoe, and Inara's help. Jayne carried his big knife in his belt and Vera strapped across his chest. Mal had his pistol as usually and Simon carried his medical bag and the atmo scanner. Kaylee could sense him tensing up as she got set to put his helmet on.

"You'll be fine," she said, trying to reassure him.

"I know, just, OK, I'll be fine."

Jayne was looking toward them and just shook his head. Zoe stepped over and put on his helmet and snapped it closed as Inara helped Mal with his helmet.

"You call if you need help. Don't be a hero," she said to him.

"When have I ever been a hero?" he responded with a smirk.

"Too often," Inara said and to Mal it almost sounded like a compliment. She put his helmet over his head and stepped back as Zoe checked the fittings and snapped it closed. Mal took a few breaths and he was good to go.

Kaylee made sure no one was looking and she gave Simon a quick peck on the cheek before she put on his helmet and locked it tight, too. Simon took a few breaths and then Zoe checked the helmet and all was set.

"Let's go for a walk," said Mal and all three waddled to the airlock.

The landscape was barren and grey and not a breath of wind stirred on the airless moon. Simon kept telling himself to look down, it was land, solid, and not look up at the starry black expanse of the verse above them. He concentrated on his instruments, checking the readings on the atmo, and that made him more nervous for the oxygen readings read zero. He already knew that but now it was confirmed. He shook his head, being silly, and told himself to straighten up.

They moved slowly toward the spaceship, trying to get use to the lesser gravity off ship. It was awkward and they shuffled more than walked. The spaceship's back half was destroyed by an explosion of some sort and it looked like it had crash landed. Many footsteps led away from it toward the nearest building.

"Footsteps," Mal said over their intercoms.

"It crashed, survivors," Simon replied. "Let's check that building."

"Jayne, take the lead," Mal said and the big man moved to the front as they slowly made their way toward the nearest building.

* * *

On board Serenity, Zoe had gone to the bridge while Kaylee and Inara waited by the airlock in case they had to come back in a hurry.

"I saw you kiss Simon," Inara said a few moments after Zoe left.

"What?" Kaylee said, feeling flush again.

"You kissed him before you put on his helmet."

"Ah, yeah. Something…has happened."

"Zoe was right!"

"Zoe? How many people know?"

"Zoe and I so far. I'm sure River knows something, too."

"Yeah, Simon said something about her." And Kaylee told Inara the whole story up to the point where Mal called Simon to the bridge.

"God, it was so nice!"

"He didn't hesitate?"

"Just a bit, but wants it too, he's ready to explode. Should have seen his, ah, his, you know."

"Yes, I know." Inara said with a smile and the two friends had a laugh and talked on and on about Simon and what was sure to come next.

* * *

"There're no lights," said Simon, as they made it to the building. It had windows and an external doorway that looked like it led to an airlock, but the airlock panel was dim and no light came from any window. Now that they looked at all the buildings they realized there was no lighting of any sort.

"He's right," said Jayne. "No one home."

"Look at this," Mal said and the other two approached the door of the airlock. Clearly visible was the symbol of the Alliance.

Simon got a shock on seeing this before remembering that the Sino-American Alliance had existed prior to the departure of the Earth That Was Travelers.

"What's Alliance doing here?" Jayne said with a touch of nervousness in his voice as he looked around, all paranoid.

"Alliance existed long before we were born," Mal said. "Right, Doc?"

"Yes. Sometime in the mid-21st century China and the United States entered into a military commercial alliance."

"Gorramn Alliance even on other side of wormholes," Jayne said with disgust.

"No power. We can't get inside," said Mal said as he looked for a way to pry it open but nothing was there to grab onto or wedge a crowbar into.

"Kaylee might be able to rig it open," Jayne said.

"Could be, could be," Mal said. "Let's keep exploring and make sure all is safe till we risk more people out here."

They set off toward the next building but it was the same, no power and no way to open the air locks. The connecting passage ways also had one airlock but again no way to open them. Gradually the three men made their way to the central landing platform, or what they thought was a landing platform. It was wide enough to land a ship twice the size of Serenity and was solidly built. Simon and Jayne started walking around examining it as Mal called the ship.

"Bridge, this is the captain. We have no signs of life out here, there's no power to any of the buildings. All have airlocks but we can't open them. Looks like whoever was here is gone or is dead. Don't know where that electrical reading is coming from. Certainly not here."

"Roger that, sir" said Zoe, the disappointment obvious in her tone. "Wait a second, River's saying something…what?"

And then the whole platform began to vibrate, throwing the three men off balance and then to their shock and consternation it began to sink into the surface of the moon. All three shouted and tried to get off but by the time they were able to reach the edge they were too far down to get out. As they descended a pair of metallic doors slid over and shut off all light from above.

"Gorramn it, it's a trap!" Jayne yelled into the darkness.

"What's happening?" Simon shouted and then felt a strange sensation and knew it was gravity, a lot more gravity and he suddenly felt very heavy. And then the movement stopped.

"Mal?" Simon said his voice rising in panic.

"Look for the helmet lights," Mal said and then Simon could see Jayne and Mal and made his way toward them. As he walked he felt air rushing into the place they were. After a long moment, the lights came on.

"Oh, boy," said Mal.

The platform had descended into a large cavern. Directly in front of the men were about a dozen people, with no spacesuits on, in some kind of blue uniform with the symbol of the Alliance on the right breast pocket, all armed and pointing their guns at the three men. Mal slowly raised his hands as Jayne and Simon did the same.

"Looks like 'we' found the survivors," Mal said with heavy irony in his voice.

* * *

On the bridge Zoe, River, Book, and Wash kept track of the progress of the EVA team. They could just see them in the distance standing on the platform when Mal called. Zoe was replying to him when suddenly River shouted.

"It's underground! The electrical presence, it's underground! And it's getting bigger!"

"Look!" shouted Wash and they all could see the platform disappearing and their three crewmates going with it, their last shouts coming over the intercom before the top closed with a sense of finality.

"Captain! Sir!" Zoe yelled into the mic. "Mal! Come in!"

Nothing came from the comms system but static.

"They're just gone," said Book in awe.

"What do we do now?" Wash said, looking to his wife for guidance.

Zoe grimly steeled herself for what was to come.

"We get our people back."


	5. Chapter 5

_Zoe takes command as Serenity's crew tries to find out what happened to their shipmates. Meanwhile, Mal, Simon, and Jayne get a first hand look at the occupants of the moon._

**The Return – Part 5 **

"Let me do the talking," Mal whispered into his helmet mic to Simon and Jayne. They were standing on a platform made for space craft to land on a moon base they had discovered. The platform was under the surface of the moon in a large, lighted cavern that had both air and more gravity than the surface. There were a few doors and what looked like some sort of glass window with some electronic equipment behind it. On the sides were large vents. In front of them were about a dozen people, dressed in blue uniforms with Alliance symbols on them. And all were armed.

What a fix, Mal thought, looking the people over, deciding in his mind who to shoot first if it came to that. One in the middle was a large man with a black mustache. He seemed older than the others and could be a leader. He'd die first. Now if I could only fire my pistol with these bulky space gloves on.

Wow, nice chicks here on the moon, thought Jayne, as he spied at least two beauties in the group, a tall blond on one end with a machine pistol of some type Jayne had never seen before and a brunette near the middle who had what looked like an old M-16. Women with guns, you gotta love it. Now if only they were pointed in another direction.

Now I'm going to die, thought Simon as he gulped, just when I finally got to know Kaylee a little better. That was the fairness of life, give a little, take a lot. They were Alliance, or the Earth version of the Alliance, which most likely wasn't the same as their Alliance. At least they wouldn't know about him and River. Now that's silly, ha ha, of course they wouldn't know. How could they? I'm rambling now. I should have taken a gun. Too late for that now. Or maybe they won't shoot me because I don't have gun?

In the brief moments it took Mal, Jayne, and Simon to have these thoughts, they were thinking too much on what they were going through and not thinking what the people in front of them were going through. Perhaps it was the lights, the sudden gravity, the shock of the whole situation, but they didn't notice the almost stunned looks on the faces of the people who had them at gun point. The large man with the mustache motioned for the others to lower their weapons and then as they did so he stepped out of the group and spoke, in clear English, in a deep melodic voice.

"Welcome to the Moon."

* * *

Zoe and Book dashed down the stairs of the cargo bay and headed straight for the spacesuit locker where Kaylee and Inara were chatting. Kaylee immediately spotted the stern cast to Zoe's face and fear replaced her joyous mood of a moment ago.

"What's happened?" she asked, hoping against hope nothing bad had happened.

Zoe said nothing and went straight to the spacesuit locker and took out the last suit. Book looked to Kaylee and Inara.

"We've lost contact," he said gently.

"What?" Inara said, her face falling.

"Lost contact? What do you mean?" Kaylee got out in a strangled voice and Book explained what had occurred.

"But, it could be anything," Kaylee began, trying to calm her fears. "A malfunction of the platform, an automatic system that operates when something is on it, anything."

"I'm going to make sure," Zoe said as she started putting on the suit.

"I still think that's a bad idea," Book said and Zoe gave him one of her looks.

"Not now, Shepherd. Need you to be in charge here."

"I think you should be in charge here," he replied. Zoe stopped what she was doing.

"Not when my crew has disappeared and is out of contact."

"Shepherd's right," Inara said to Zoe. "We need to stay calm and think about this."

"I'll go," said Kaylee and Zoe turned to her and shook her head.

"No, need you by the engines."

"We ain't going anywhere. Not without Simon and the Capt'n and Jayne."

"She's the only one trained to find out what happened to that platform or to open those airlocks," Book stated, as he gave Zoe one of his stern and serious looks. 'And you're our leader now. You need to be here."

Zoe knew he was right. She hated the idea of sending Kaylee out there alone but she knew it was the right choice. She took a breath and looked at them and stepped out of the suit and handed it to Kaylee.

"Be careful," she said, full on serious. "Don't walk on that platform, don't touch anything looks funny, and don't stop talking on the comms. Check the nearest airlock, see if you can get inside one of those buildings. Might be a control system there or another way under the surface. Then check the platform for a control system and if you can't find anything come back. Stay off the platform. Anything happens to you…Mal and Simon have my ass."

Kaylee just nodded, Zoe scaring her more than she intended, her comment about Simon worrying about Kaylee not even raising an eyebrow from anyone. "I'll, you know, I'll be careful. Just let me get my tools."

Kaylee set down the space suit and went off to the engine room as Wash's voice came through the intercom.

"Zoe, baby? What's happening?"

She walked over to the intercom and hit the talk button. "Sending Kaylee out to check the platform and those airlocks, see if we can get inside, find out what's going on."

"OK. River says there's no life signs in the buildings, no power, nothing on thermal imaging or infrared. The underground power source is steady and directly below us. She's trying to adjust the sensors to x-ray the underground, see if we can get an ideal of what's below us"

"Roger that. Good idea. I'll be back up soon as Kaylee's EVA'd."

"Roger," he replied and the intercom went dead.

Zoe went back to the spacesuit locker, looked at the suit and shook her head. "Knew we shoulda had more than four of these."

"What are we going to do if Kaylee can't get inside?" Inara asked, worry for Mal and the others clear on her face.

"Don't know yet," Zoe said in a dejected tone. "Never saw this coming."

Book put a hand on her shoulder. "Zoe, everything will be fine. Have faith. Mal has come through worse situations. For all we know they could be making friends with the survivors of Earth right now."

"Or shooting them," Zoe replied grimly.

* * *

The man with the mustache had said something but Mal, Jayne or Simon could barely hear through their helmets. It sounded and looked like a welcome and they had definitely lowered their weapons. And it looked like they were breathing the atmo without assistance.

"Simon," Mal said into his helmet mic. "Atmo readings?"

Simon snapped out of his trance at the sound of Mal's voice. "Ah, the recorder is in my hand and my hands are over my head."

"Looks like they ain't ready to shoot us just yet, Doc," Jayne stated and Simon could see that for himself. The tall man with the moustache just stood there looking at them like he was waiting for something and the others were in a sort of shock, which was plain to see on their faces now. Mal lowered his hands first, then Jayne, which he rested on Vera, not in a threatening manner but in a 'just in case' way and Simon lowered his hands last of all. He quickly examined the atmo recorder and could see that the air was very breathable.

"It's pure atmo, Mal, safe enough."

"Wait a gorramn minute," Jayne said as Mal went to remove his helmet. "These here Earthlings or Moonlings or whatever they may be might be able to breathe it but we can't."

"Jayne, it's atmo," Simon said.

"Yeah, but maybe they're an evolved form a human or they got some device to breathe with and some way to trick the recorder."

Mal just shook his head, looked at what he thought was the leader, held up a finger for 'just a sec' and turned to Jayne.

"Jayne they wanted us dead, we'd be full of holes now." With that Mal removed his helmet and took a deep breath. Simon and Jayne soon followed suit, Jayne very suspicious as he sniffed the air.

"Sorry, about that," Mal said to the man. "Can't hear a darn thing in them spacesuits. You were saying?"

But the man was stunned for a second and a murmur went through the people.

"They speak English!"

"They're just like us!"

"Where did they come from?"

The man turned to his people and then they were silent after he gave them a stern look.

"Forgive us,' he began after he turned once more to the men of Serenity. 'We're in a bit of shock over seeing you."

"Same here," said Jayne as Mal turned and gave him one his dirty looks as Jayne forgot that Mal was to do the talking.

"Yeah," Mal said to the man. "Seems both sides a bit surprised at the moment. Why don't we start at the beginning and do some introductions and we'll take it from there."

"Of course,' said the man as he stepped forward with his hand out to Mal. "Forgive my poor manners. I'm Commander Samuel Jackson. Welcome to Moon Base Armstrong."

Mal shook his hand as he spoke. "Captain Malcolm Reynolds. This here's Jayne Cobb and Doctor Simon Tam."

"Captain…Reynolds? And what are you a captain of?"

"Spaceship I guess you been tracking for about two days now," Mal said calmly, judging his answers carefully, not willing to give too much away to Jackson just yet till he knew the lay of the land.

"Yes, Captain, we have been tracking you since your appearance. You have generated a great deal of …curiosity… amongst our people here. And these men are your crew?"

"Yeah, Jayne's payload specialist and Simon is our medical doctor and science adviser."

"A medical doctor?" came a voice from the crowd and the brunette woman with the M-16 stepped forth. "A real medical doctor?"

Mal looked at Simon who seemed to be about to speak but he held his tongue. Mal sensed something wasn't quite right. She seemed a little too desperate as she spoke these words.

"Yeah, Simon's a real doctor. You got sick folk about?"

"Yes," Jackson said immediately and there was no hint of a lie or deception. "You may have noticed our damaged spacecraft on the surface. We had an accident a few days ago and some of our people are hurt. Unfortunately, our only medical doctor was killed in the accident."

"Where is your infirmary?" Simon asked and Mal just sighed and knew Simon was going to be a pain in the ass about this.

"This way,' the woman said and a Simon was all set to follow her.

"Hold on a minute, Doc," Mal said and Simon stopped. "I know you got your oath to help people and all but we got a million questions for these folks first before you go wandering off."

"But Mal,…."

"No buts Simon. Stay still for the moment." Simon just stood where he was, knowing Mal was right, realizing it wasn't so wise to go wandering off by himself. Last time he did that he had almost been burnt alive at a stake.

Jackson nodded. "It is understandable that you have so many questions Captain Reynolds. As have we, as have we. Where shall we begin?"

Jayne stepped forward before Mal could open his mouth, the big man unable to keep silent any longer. "How about with what the gorramn hell happened on Earth?"

Jackson was about to say something but before he could another man rushed through a doorway and into the cavern running up to Jackson and then just staring at the three visitors with awe and wonder. He was older than any of the others, perhaps in his 60s, and had wild unkempt hair going bald on top and thick glasses. He spoke in a thick accent that reminded Mal of the evil bastard Niska.

"_Bosha Moy_! It worked! It worked! They are human! They have returned!"

And he shook Mal, then Jayne, then Simon's hands in a row, stopping and looking at them in awe. "Welcome home, travelers! Welcome home!"

* * *

Kaylee wasn't as nervous as Simon about spacewalks but it wasn't her favorite thing to do in the verse. She had done several EVA's on Serenity over the years, fixing this or that, checking for damage after some close calls, but she'd never been on a moon with no atmo and such little gravity before. Walking was hard and all the equipment she carried made her progress slow as she approached the damaged spaceship.

When Zoe seemed ready to charge off out the airlock, Kaylee knew that wasn't right and was glad Shepherd Book was there to convince Zoe to stay on board. Leaders needed to lead, not go running around in dangerous places. The Capt'n didn't agree with that, believing leading by example was best, and that of course always put him in the hot zone so to speak. If both him and Zoe went missing then the crew would truly be in trouble, like that time when they pulled the train job and there had been nothing but bickering when Jayne tried to take over. Thankfully Simon had knocked him out, giving him a dose much like he had given her the night before.

Thinking on Simon helped Kaylee calm her nerves. She was doing this for him and the others, but more for him she knew. She said "I'll go" before she ever realized the words came out of her mouth. This was the last suit and if something happened to her, there was no way someone could come get her. But Shepherd was right, she was the only one qualified to examine the airlocks and the landing platform where Simon, the Capt'n and Jayne had disappeared.

She had gone to the engine room and grabbed her portable battery, some connector cables, and her EVA tool kit, which was a belt with pockets for tools such as a power drill, power screwdriver, pliers, mallet, and so on. On top of that she took a big flashlight cause if she got inside the buildings it sure would be dark. It was bulky but she needed it. The battery was bulky too, a hydrogen cell that could power up those airlock doors if she could access the control panels.

"Kaylee, comms check," came Zoe's voice from the bridge of Serenity and Kaylee could sense her concern. Kaylee was suppose to speak as often as possible but forgot while taking in the awe and splendor of the moon.

"Still here," Kaylee replied. 'Walking toward the spaceship. Looks like an explosion of some sort in the engine area. Nothing like I've seen before. Possibly a short range craft. Maybe using fossil fuels for propulsion or a nuclear reactor, maybe a radon accelerator. Have to go inside to make sure."

"Negative on that, Kaylee. We'll check it out later if we have a chance. The air lock first," Zoe said through the static.

"Roger that, heading to the air lock now. It's not far now."

She could see the many footprints in the dusty moon's surface, some leading from the spacecraft to the airlock, the others her three crewmates as they had joined the first group. After a few minutes Kaylee was at the airlock.

"Airlock reached, Serenity. Oh, gosh! Looks like the symbol of the Alliance on the door. Not exactly like it but similar. What's going on? What's Alliance doing here?"

"Kaylee," came Book's voice. "Alliance was created on Earth before the travelers left. They brought it with them to the stars."

"Oh. I guess I knew that. Okay, looking for an airlock panel."

Kaylee moved her gloves over the sides of the door until she found something square that gave a little when she pushed. It was covered in dust, and when she removed the dust she could see through what looked like plastic and saw some sort of control panel. After pushing a bit with no result Kaylee just took her mallet and slammed it into the plastic. On the third whack she finally cracked it and then it came apart. After a quick look Kaylee pulled out her power screw driver and removed the four screws holding the cover plate on the panel and opened up its interior. Working with the bulky gloves was awkward but she managed to find what looked like a power cable. After a quick splice she connected her hydrogen cell to the wire and the control panel came to life. A punch on the "Open" button and the airlock door slid up.

"Got it open," Kaylee said. "Heading inside now."

"Take it slow, Kaylee," Zoe replied. "You get the hell back here you see anything suspicious."

"You know me, Zoe. I ain't much for a fight."

"Roger that."

Kaylee put her tools away, turned on her flashlight and took her first steps inside the moon base, her senses alive with nervous tension and fears for what happened to her crewmates, especially a certain doctor.

* * *

"Don't feel right, her all alone out there," Zoe said as she paced the bridge behind Wash's seat. River was glued to the scanners, making adjustments, hitting the keyboard at blinding speed as Book stood behind her, trying but not making sense of what she was doing. Inara sat in the third chair, her arms around her body, her fears on her face, fears for friends and crewmates. She had wanted to stay by the airlock in case Kaylee came back but couldn't stand not knowing what was going on and reasoned correctly that someone could run to the airlock long before Kaylee or the others could get there.

Wash gave his wife a reassuring look. "It was the right move, baby. She's the only one with the skills."

"I know, just….Kaylee's so…" and Zoe seemed at a loss for words.

"Vulnerable?" said Book and Zoe just nodded.

Inara spoke next in a quiet voice. "When she got shot that time, I was so scared she was going to die. She's like our little sister. She never hurt a soul in her life. I said a prayer to Buddha to save her and he answered me."

"I confess I wanted to do harm to Mr. Dobson myself," said Book. "More harm than my blow to disarm him did."

"He's dead and a bullet to the head ain't so pretty. But Early, he got off easy. If I could have got my hands on Jubal Early," said Zoe quietly. "His death wouldn't have been so clean and painless. Scaring Kaylee half to death, tying her up like that, hitting you Shepherd and you too Inara, beating Mal, shooting Simon, trying to take River. That man did more harm to this crew than any other. Son-of-a-bitch."

"Mr. Early's death wasn't so painless, I assure you," said Book. "Suffocating in the endless void of space is not as quiet or nice as we'd imagine."

And as he said these words all thoughts turned to Kaylee and the others out there, in the void of space, with nothing between them and death but their thin suits and oxygen tanks. As Zoe thought on that she worried about Mal, Jayne and Simon's supply of air.

"River, what's the EVA time of the first team?"

"Thirty–five minutes. Tanks have approximately two hours of air." River replied not taking her mind off her task of adjusting the sensors. Zoe didn't need to wonder why the mind reader knew she wanted to know about the air supply time. Then Zoe had an idea.

"River, can you…sense them?"

All looked toward River as she turned to Zoe. "They are far away and underground but I feel something. I sense Simon most and he is scared but unharmed. Jayne and the Captain I am not sure about."

"Who has them?"

"They are human, many of them, how many I don't know. Some under us, others around us. They are worried, scared, some are angry, some are curious, about us."

"As are we about them," Book said after a long moment of awed silence as River's crewmates wondered not for the first time just who she really was.

"Anything changes, keep me posted," Zoe said to her.

"Aye, aye,' said River as she turned back to her tasks.

"Wash, if we get close to the end time of their air supply, were going to put Serenity on that landing platform and hope for the best," Zoe told him.

"It's big enough for two Serenity's. Let's just hope we get it down and get them back."

Book was still looking at the sensor display. "Be nice to know what it looks like down there first."

River turned and smiled at him. "I know now."

* * *

Mal looked at the mad man in front of him with extreme discomfort. He spoke like Niska and he even seemed to look like him a little and saying they could be distant cousins wouldn't have surprised Mal at this point.

The man turned to Jackson who seemed quite irritated at this intrusion. "I told you, Sam. We've made contact. They have come to us, to save us. We are ready."

This last was said to Mal and Mal had no idea what he was taking about. "Could someone fill me in on what in the verse is going?"

"Captain Reynolds please meet my chief science adviser, Gregori Kovalev," Jackson said in a less than happy tone.

"The pleasure is all mine. _Ochen priatna_,_ ochen priatna_," Gregori said, as he shook a surprised Mal's hand again, in what Simon thought was Russian, since the man's name had an obvious Russian or at least Eastern European origin.

"Happy to make your acquaintance,' said Mal slightly irritated at this over friendly reminder of Niska. 'Now, about our questions?"

Jackson looked a bit uncomfortable. "If we could do this in a more pleasant atmosphere, Captain, things will go much faster. This cavern was designed for landing spacecraft, not for the first meeting between the two branches of humanity in 500 years."

"So, you know where we come from?" Simon said in a curious tone.

"But of course,'"said Gregori, before Jackson could reply. "We've been trying to contact you. And here you are!"

* * *

After she got the inner airlock door opened, Kaylee made her way into the building. The corridor leading from the airlock into the building was bare and dark. Kaylee's flashlight revealed only dust and thought that was odd since this was a sealed building. The next door wasn't power locked and Kaylee just pushed and it opened. As she entered into the next area she saw that it wasn't exactly a sealed building.

"Looks like something happened here Zoe,' she said over the comms. "There's a lot of holes, small holes in the sides of the room I'm in and the light from outside is entering. It looks like some kind of reception area. There's space suits here and some counters and desks with computer terminals, but a lot of stuff is damaged."

After a second came Zoe's reply. "River said it's most likely from small meteorites hitting the buildings. Maybe that's why they abandoned the surface. "

"Wait a sec. There's some signs on some of the desks and terminals. One says Shield Generator."

"Just a minute," came Zoe's answer. "Here's River."

"Hi, Kaylee. How you doing?" River asked in a pleasant tone and Kaylee smiled despite her circumstances. Zoe was all military and serious on the comms. River sounded like she was making a wave call.

"I'm good River. How's everyone there?

"Oh, you know, serious and worried."

"Me, too. Worried that is."

"Simon will be fine, don't worry."

"I can't help it."

"All will be well. Zoe's giving me one of her looks now. I was able to adjust the sensors and got some x-ray images of the base under us. If you continue to the second building from where you are I think you might fine a way underground."

"Oh, that sounds good. But what is a shield generator?"

"Most likely they had some kind of shield protecting the base from meteorites. Perhaps it was damaged or they stopped using it after they moved underground."

"Yeah, that makes sense. No atmo to burn up the meteorites. Certainly lots of small holes here. Okay. I'm making my way to the third building now. I think I'll go through here and then the passage ways to the next building and see if I get some more info."

Zoe came back on the line. "Watch your air supply, Kaylee. Keep your mind on the mission not on exploring."

"Roger that, Zoe. On the mission."

Kaylee made her way to the back of the room toward another door, having to step around lots of discarded things on the floor. She noticed footprints in the dust and they were obviously made with space boots. As she opened the door it was jammed half way. She pushed and it moved and then she squeezed through into another passage. As she turned her light to see what was blocking the door, Kaylee dropped her flashlight, gasped and let out a small cry as she saw sitting on the floor propped up against the door a dead person in a spacesuit.

* * *

"What do you have?" Zoe asked River as she moved to her side.

"We have the base underground. Some of it anyway," said Book, peering intently at the screens.

They could see the images of corridors and spaces of what could be rooms, in a grid like pattern, some larger rooms and solid objects that looked like machinery of some kind, and small images, some moving, that could be people. There was only one level and there appeared to be only two ways from the surface, the way Mal, Jayne and Simon went and a shaft of some sort from the second building from where Kaylee was. They couldn't quite make out what was happening under the landing platform but some shapes there could be people also.

"Try infrared and thermal," Zoe commanded.

"Tried, won't work, too deep underground,' River replied.

"How deep?" asked Inara as she crowded in for a look.

"About 25 meters, more than fifty feet."

"That's deep," said Book.

Zoe got back to talking to Kaylee and then handed over the conversation to River. The teen was a little less formal and Zoe didn't like her tone but she had to remind herself that none of them were military like her and the Captain. Well, with the exception of Book, perhaps. After her brief conversation to remind Kaylee of the mission came Kaylee's strangled cry from the void.

"Kaylee," Zoe said as calmly as she could, her heart racing, worrying on what was happening to the little mechanic. There was no answer. "Kaylee!"

Then came a small sob, "Oh, God!"

"Kaylee, focus, calm down, and tell me what happened?'

"Okay, okay, just need to breathe."

"Relax."

"Okay, I'm okay. There's a ….dead person…here…in a space suit."

All on the bridge looked at each other in concern. "It's not one of our guys,' Kaylee said quickly and the tension visible relaxed. "Different kind of spacesuit, silver color. A man I think. His helmet's smashed in, he's frozen solid by the looks. And something, oh God, blood, all over his face."

"Kaylee, this is Shepherd Book. Can you tell how he died?"

"Oh God, please don't ask me to touch him!"

"No, Kaylee,' Book continued. "Do you think it was an accident or …something else?"

Kaylee was silent for a long time. "Kaylee?"

"Something else," came in a small voice.

"How do you know?" Zoe asked with concern.

"Cause he ain't the only one."

* * *

Mal, Jayne , and Simon allowed themselves to be led out of the hanger area through a door and down a wide corridor. Jayne kept Vera close at hand and Mal retained his pistol and no one even questioned why they were armed or attempted to take away their weapons. Jackson and Gregori led the entourage and as they walked past more doors and rooms many people were standing and looking, smiling and in awe of the three men in spacesuits. They were of mixed races, Caucasians and Orientals dominating, with a few of African, Indian, and Arabic descent. Simon saw many signs in Chinese and English, all with the Alliance symbol. There was Operations, Supply, Weapons, Storage, Medical, and one reading Quarantine. They stopped at this one.

Mal looked at Jackson. "No rutting way am I going in there."

"Captain, you and your men may have diseases that our people have no immunity to. We are isolated here. Any out break could cause the devastation of the last remnants of humanity."

"You ain't the last," Jayne said.

"Of course not," said Gregori. 'There's you."

"The point is," said Jackson. "Our people have already been briefly exposed to you and we would like to run some tests."

Mal turned to Simon. 'Doc, explain it before I lose my temper."

"Our civilization has all the same medical problems of Earth and its people. Nothing more, nothing less. We are human after all. We all get chicken pox, the common cold, measles, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and on and on, so no, we have nothing you don't have." Which wasn't exactly true as Simon remembered the several new problems that had cropped up when some planets and moons had been terra-formed. But those weren't contagious illnesses.

Jackson turned to Gregori, who shrugged. "We must establish some trust, Sam. If he says so I believe him."

"My apologies, Captain. Please follow us," Jackson said as he led them off once again.

As they walked Simon got close to Mal. "We need to contact Serenity," he whispered.

"Not yet. As far as they know, we're the only three on board, got it?" He turned back to Jayne who had been listening and Jayne nodded also.

Finally, they reached what looked like a conference room, with a large table, soft chairs, some computer terminals, and a screen at one end. As they were about to sit down, Simon stopped.

"What about the injured people?" He said to Mal and Jackson at the same time. Mal looked to Jackson and then to Simon.

"Guess no stopping you, is there?"

"You know me too well, Mal."

"Okay. Do your job."

With that Simon turned and the very anxious brunette led him off toward the medical wing of the base. Mal turned back to Jackson and Gregori, who seemed ready to burst with excitement as someone came in and placed a laptop computer terminal in front of him. Two armed men closed the doors of the room and remained inside as Jackson, Gregori, Mal, and Jayne faced each other across the table.

Mal opened the discussion. "I know we're all guest here and you got lots of questions and so do we, so let's take this slow. We ask one, you ask one and so on."

"Forgive me, Captain," said Gregori in a hurt tone, which grated on Mal as the man reminded him too much of Niska. "But you are reacting very suspicious. What have we done to earn this mistrust?"

Jayne just snorted. "What have you done?!" Mal looked at him and Jayne shut up.

"We don't know what you have done. But my ship was 42 light years away a day and half ago and we ain't got a faster than light drive so how'd we end up here? My science advisor tells me it's something called a wormhole which just popped up in front of my ship and sucked us clear cross the galaxy in less than four minutes. He says that until that happened wormholes were nothing but a theory and that no one had ever seen one, no one that survived to tell the tale that is. Now we get to Earth and it's nothing but a wreck and no doubt caused by those that once lived there and maybe even you up here. We get here to find some answers and we get taken down here and to me it smells an awful lot like a trap. So, yeah, you could say we're awfully suspicious."

Gregori was busy hitting the keyboard on his computer. "Do you know the exact time?"

"What?" Mal couldn't believe this guy and Jackson was no friend of his judging by his impatient reactions.

"Gregori…"

"A moment, please, Sam," Gregori said gently as he turned back to Mal. "The wormhole, _da_? How long did you travel through it?"

"I guess about four minutes, less I think Simon said."

"Good, good, this is very good," Gregori replied absently as he typed some more.

"What in hell is he so happy about?" Jayne remarked in a disgusted tone.

"What?" the scientist said as he looked up and Mal could almost see Jackson about to roll his eyes. "Oh, forgive me. You see, I was the one who created the wormhole."

* * *

Kaylee's flashlight panned the room and then her heart was in her throat as she spotted more bodies in spacesuits, all dead. Around them on the floor were bullet casings and on the walls what looked like laser burn marks. One body had a hole right through from a laser, another had many holes in the chest, probably from bullets, and a third had a knife sticking out of the chest area. They all wore silver suits but on the upper arms there were little flag markings, one with the Alliance and the other three with a red, white and blue striped flag.

"There's three more bodies. And looks like there was a fight. They got laser burns and bullet holes and one's got a knife sticking out of him."

She was talking fast and her breathing was still too fast. Zoe's voice came to Kaylee from a far away place as she surveyed the dead. "Kaylee, relax. Be calm."

She slowed her mind and her breathing and soon felt better. "I'm good now. Thanks."

"Tell me what else you see. Any weapons?"

"Nope, nothing here except the knife."

"Any idea who they are?"

"One Alliance, others with some patches I never seen before."

"Describe it."

"Red, white, and blue strips, one each, horizontal, white on top, blue in the middle, red on the bottom."

"Just a minute, we're checking the encyclopedia."

"I ain't going anywhere," said Kaylee. As she was waiting she scanned some more and to her left was the corridor leading to the connecting passageway. It was partially blocked with equipment and seemed like a barricade of some sort. The footsteps in the dust continued that way.

"Kaylee, we found it," Zoe's voice came through the helmet. "It's the flag of the Earth nation called Russia."

* * *

Simon followed the brunette lady down the corridor they had come through earlier, looking for the sign that said Medical. She was taller than him, with long raven dark hair and beautiful looks. She could be a model on any Core planet Simon thought and then kicked himself for looking at another woman when all his heart was for a little lady on a ship called Serenity.

"My name is Simon Tam," he said to her, trying to break the ice with these people who may very well send him back to his home.

'I know, I was in the hanger, remember? My name is Tanya Kovalev."

Her English was flawless but Simon knew that name was Russian. "Gregori's daughter?"

"Yes. Ah, here we are."

They went through the doors marked Medical and then down another corridor. In the distance Simon could hear people talking and what sounded like crying. In an instant his mind was all focused on medicine.

"Tell me what happened."

"We were trying to get to Earth and the ship malfunction. We returned but couldn't land properly. The engine exploded and six people were killed, including our chief engineer and doctor as he tried to save some of them from the fire. Five others are injured and three are very bad. We had to carry them here through the buildings above. When the ship crashed it disabled our power for a few hours so we were unable to come the way you came."

"What kind of injuries?"

"Burns, broken bones, I'm not sure. I'm an astro-engineer, not a doctor. Ah, here we are, the infirmary."

It was bigger than Serenity's, a spacious place and contained ten beds. Five were occupied and around them were many people, some crying, others obviously medical staff, male and female. The five occupants in the beds were quiet, most likely sedated, and wrapped in various bandages and gauze. Suddenly, everything went quiet as Simon and Tanya were noticed.

"He's a doctor," Tanya said and everyone just stared as she walked up to one bed where a man lay unconscious, left leg in a cast, burn marks on his body, tubes coming out of him.

"This is my husband, Joseph, a spacecraft pilot" she said to Simon in a worried tone, trying to control her emotions. "Please take care of him. I have important work to do."

And she stood for a minute, looking at the unconscious man and then without another word turned and left Simon alone. He suddenly felt very helpless as everyone just stared at this stranger. Finally, an elderly woman approached him, wearing a medical uniform, and she took his helmet from his hands.

"Doctor, let's get you out of this spacesuit and ready for surgery."

* * *

"You 'made' the wormhole?" Mal said in surprise, staring at this Niska re-run like he was some mad scientist from one of those old animation vids Mal had watched as a child on Shadow.

"Yes, of course. That's what my daughter and I do. We are astro-scientists."

"Why?" Jayne asked, liking these people less and less the more he learned. An accident of space he could accept, but these people dragging him here, well, that was cause for a fight.

"As you saw, our world is devastated. We have been trying to make a bridge with the quadrant of space where the travelers went so many centuries ago. We have been unsuccessful in creating a faster than light space drive, so the only logical way to reach you was a wormhole."

Mal was confused. "Why did you want to make contact with us?"

Jackson answered this one. "Because we have no where else to go. Earth is finished for the foreseeable future, many decades, perhaps centuries before the radiation dies."

"Some people are alive down there," Jayne said. "Did you all abandon them?"

"No," Jackson said. "We were here when the war started. Our supplies are running low so we repaired that spaceship and were attempting to return to Earth, get re-supplied in the south, maybe find some survivors."

"Repair that spaceship?" Mal questioned.

"Ah, this is difficult to explain," said Gregori. "That spaceship was part of an attack force that tried to unsuccessfully assault this base during the war."

"Which brings me back to our first question?' Jayne said in exasperation. 'What in the hell happened on Earth?"

Jackson and Gregori nervously looked at each other before Gregori answered. "You are not wrong, Captain Reynolds. I'm ashamed to say it was my country men of Russia who started this war, just over two years ago now. The Sino-American Alliance has dominated the world for five hundred years, but not all were happy with this domination. The population was at bursting point even when your ancestors went to the stars. We were too many, the resources in steady decline. Russia is, was, the largest country and the Chinese and Indians and many others have a jealous eye for it for a long time. Clashes have occurred in the past but never nuclear war. We believe the Russians suspected an attack so launched a preemptive strike. When that happened the Alliance responded. You have seen the results. All except the southern lands were total devastated. The ashes from the fires filled the skies for a year. The crops failed, starvation came to the few survivors, all contact with Earth was lost as all radio and navigation and other communications failed or were destroyed. Our last re-supply was over two years ago. Thankfully we had so much in storage. Now it is almost gone. And our numbers are much less. Some were killed in the attack on the base. Some went mad and killed themselves. Others just gave up hope and wasted away. Your appearance has been like a message from God."

Mal's head swam with the details, but the gist of it got through. "So, one guy had all the land and wouldn't share it and everyone fought for it and died."

Jackson nodded slowly. "Simply put, yes, but it goes much deeper than that. You would have to read our history of the last 500 years to truly understand."

"Commander, I hate to break this to you all, but war ain't a stranger in our neck of the verse either. We've had our wars, last one just seven years ago, and I saw my share of fighting in it."

"A war? Between who?" Gregori asked. 'Is it the aliens?"

Jayne and Mal both couldn't help but laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Ain't nobody seen no aliens in our part of the verse," Jayne said with a chuckle.

"No aliens. War between humans, even in space," Gregori said in disappointment.

"Yeah, quite similar to what you all had here. Alliance against those that don't like it," Mal explained.

"The Alliance still exists?" Jackson asked.

Jayne snorted. "Yeah, they still there, in charge, telling folks what to do."

"I take it you have no love for the Alliance, Mr. Cobb," Jackson asked a bit sternly.

Mal stepped in before Jayne shot off his mouth anymore than he already had and let too much out of the bag. "We're what you call an independent transport ship. Alliance is government and government always gets in the way of business."

Jackson softened a bit. 'I see. But the war, Captain, who won the war?"

"Alliance," Mal said quietly as he couldn't help but feel some small measure of hatred for these men who worn that patch on their uniforms. "But a lot of good people died before the end."

Gregori and Jackson looked aghast. "But, your home world, it is safe? There is no nuclear destruction?"

"Oh, there were some moons and planets got bombed a bit, and some got a few scars still, but nothing like here. We didn't use nuclear weapons."

"Moons? Planets? But when the travelers left there was but one habitable planet in that system?"

Jayne laughed. "Thank God there ain't. We got dozens of worlds and hundreds of moons, most with people on them."

"But that's fantastic!" Gregori exclaimed in awe and shock. "Dozens of worlds. Hundreds of moons. "

"And the people?" Jackson asked in excitement. "How many people?"

"Don't rightly know," Mal began. "Suppose about, I guess maybe three or four billion."

"Billions?' Gregori said, unbelieving. "But the travelers were so few."

"Guess we all had big families," Jayne said, getting impatient with all this talk. "Listen, you been asking a lot of questions and we're a bit behind but we got one more question, most important of all and you all best have a good answer. Can you send us back home?"

Gregori smiled. "I am working on the calculations for a new wormhole as we speak."

"Well, that's great,' said Mal as he stood up. "We'll just go back to our ship and get ready to leave."

Jackson nodded to the two men by the door and they opened the doors and five more armed people came in before Jayne or Mal could draw a weapon.

"This ain't right. We been friendly like," Jayne said as Vera and his knife were taken away. Mal's pistol was seized and then he gave Jackson his look he reserved for people who he wanted to see suffer pain before they died.

"I thought we were going to be good neighbors here."

Jackson stood and Mal could now see his early goodwill was mostly an act. Now he was all hard and cold and military, a look Mal knew well. "Captain, I'm afraid the concerns of the people on this base out weigh any neighborly intentions I would have offered in a more civilized situation. I'm afraid I'm forced to commandeer your ship."

* * *

Russian Translations:_ Bosha Moy_ – Oh my God! _Ochen Priatna_ – It's nice to meet you. _Da_ - yes


	6. Chapter 6

_Serenity's scattered crew try to reunite as they learn more about the intentions of the occupants of the moon._

**The Return – Part 6 **

Serenity was far from home, a wormhole sucking it clear across the galaxy to Earth, a wormhole Mal and Jayne had just learned had been created on purpose by Gregori Kovalev to make a bridge with the quadrant of space where the "travelers", as he had called them, had gone five centuries earlier. Mal had been wary of these people, but had been willing to listen to them and offer some information as he could without telling too much before he knew their true intentions. Their true intentions were now very clear, as Commander Samuel Jackson had just tipped his hand and in Mal's opinion he had tipped it a might too soon. Mal might have been willing to help them if they were friendly about it, especially if they could help Serenity get back home, but things had gone beyond that now.

They were underground in a base on the Earth's single moon, which appeared to be the last outpost of any kind of civilization in this corner of the verse. Earth was devastated by a nuclear war that humanity had brought on itself, the few survivors clinging to a precarious existence in the southern hemisphere. The moon base was all that was left of the proud society that had sent Mal's forefathers to the stars. And they didn't even have so much as a spaceship anymore. So they decided to steal his.

"Commandeer my ship?" Mal said with a slight smirk. 'Good luck with that."

"Yeah," Jayne said with venom. "You're in for a world of hurt."

"Even if you could get inside, how you gonna start it and how you gonna fly it?" Mal began. "Cause we sure as hell ain't gonna help you and you all ain't got a good track record with space craft from the looks of things above.'

Jackson didn't even bat an eye. "Gentlemen, we are not fools. We have some of the brightest engineers and scientists in all humanity on this base. I'm sure entering and learning all about your ship will be a simply matter. As for the other spacecraft, that was," and he paused for a brief moment and looked sideways at his head scientist as he spoke, "an unfortunate accident. Unforeseeable."

Mal got the sense that all was not well between the commander and Gregori Kovalev. The scientist had been silent for the past few moments and looked like he wasn't too sure what his commander was doing was the right thing.

"Unforeseeable," Gregori repeated and then he looked at Mal and his face was almost apologetic. "But now you are here, with your ship, and we can take the next step."

"What step is that?" Mal couldn't help asking, hoping they'd reveal more of their plans. Most people didn't know when it was best to be silent and Mal hoped one of these two would be like that.

Jackson didn't disappoint Mal. He was all cold and sternness now, but still talking. "You're ship will be used to return to Earth and re-supply this base and search for survivors."

"And then reach across the stars to your home worlds," Gregori added.

Jackson nodded slowly, and again Mal got a feeling things weren't well between the two men. "Of course. After we re-supply. Take them away."

"We ain't done yet," Mal said grimly, as the armed men prepared to take him and Jayne out of the room. "I got a feeling me and you is gonna have more than words before this is over."

"You can bet on it," Jayne added.

"Captain Reynolds, you must be quite the man in your quadrant of space, judging by your attitude. If I wanted you dead you'd be dead already," Jackson said in a stern tone. "But every life is precious amidst so much loss. Besides, you and your crewmates have a great deal of information we need."

"Like he said," Jayne snarled. "We ain't talking."

"You have already told us so much," Jackson began. "It is apparent that you are not in any way a scientific expedition or a representative of the peoples of your quadrant. Gregori's wormhole has accidentally brought you to us, that much is clear now. Fortunately, your ship survived the journey and is of great value to us here. It is also apparent that you have a desire to return home and an independent streak that allows me to believe you would be unwilling to enter into any kind of agreement regarding the use of your vessel."

"Bit too late for that," Mal said in anger.

Jackson just nodded. "Quite so." He looked to the armed men. 'Take them."

The armed men pushed and prodded the two men out of the room and down the wide corridor. There were no folk about now, the corridor empty and Mal knew things had changed. The stunned reactions at seeing Mal, Jayne and Simon had changed to out right hostility. Mal knew not everyone felt that way and Jackson was pulling the strings here. Their appearance had been a shock maybe cause they were expecting aliens or maybe someone speaking a different language or whatever. But the shock had worn off mighty quickly and now Mal and Jayne were in a heap of trouble. Course, that's what made life all the more interesting.

Mal had a thousand questions, all and any of which would provide the solution to their predicament. How had Gregori created the wormhole? Could he really do it again? Where was his lab or equipment or whatever he had to make it and could Mal get him to recreate it and send them home? How in the hell did they have atmo and more gravity under the surface of the moon? How old is this base? How was it built? Was there another way to the surface? How could Jayne and he get away from these guards? Where in the hell was Simon and was he also under guard? Above all, what were Serenity and her crew doing now?

* * *

"Russia? What're they doing fighting the Alliance? Thought all Earth was the Alliance?" Kaylee's voice came through the comms to the bridge as she looked once more at the dead men in the abandoned building on the moon's surface.

"Apparently not," said Zoe from the bridge of Serenity.

"Well, looks like the Russia guys lost the fight here," Kaylee answered. She was getting more control of her nerves and knew she had to concentrate on what she had to do to find their missing men.

"Roger that, Kaylee." Zoe was getting more and more concerned also as time passed, worried on Kaylee being out there all alone and worried about the other three missing crew members. The she remembered the spacesuits. "Kaylee, are any of the spacesuits in good shape? Not the ones on the dead men, but those in the other room."

"No," came the disappointing answer. "They all got holes in them or smashed helmets. I thought of that, too. Sorry."

Zoe just sighed. "It's okay, Kaylee. Time to check that other way under the surface."

"Roger that," she replied. "Moving through the passageway."

Zoe looked to River who was still at the sensor boards in the co-pilot's station. "River, can you keep her on thermal imaging?"

River hit some keys. "There she is."

They could now see a thermal image of Kaylee inside the corridor leading to the second building which was still one away from what they thought was a way to get underground. Serenity was still over a hundred meters from where Kaylee was but Zoe didn't want to move any closer till they knew what in the gorramn verse was going on.

Inara let out a yawn which she quickly stifled. "Sorry. Just, it's getting late."

"It is," said Book as he checked the ship's clock on the control panel. "I'll go make some coffee."

"Make it strong, Shepherd," Zoe said. "We ain't sleeping till all is well."

"I'll help you,' Inara offered as she followed Book to the kitchen.

Zoe sat in the third chair and just stared at the screens in front of River. The kid was holding up well, under the circumstances, with her brother disappearing, but Zoe knew that River could sense he was well so she wasn't ready to panic yet. But what would happen later, if Simon didn't get back in time, if his air ran out, if he…Zoe didn't want to think that far ahead yet. She knew River needed medicine to even keep her demons in check for a little while and help her function but only Simon knew what it was and how much to give her. That would change if they ever got out of this fix.

She looked to her husband and he was like a rock, sitting in that chair for hours now. It was a comfortable chair and she felt a little better remembering the times they had made love in it. Zoe almost smiled but then she saw River looking at her with half a grin on.

"Try to keep out of my head, will you?" Zoe said but not harshly.

"What?" said Wash as he looked from his wife to River. "I miss something?"

"Time for a break, Wash," she told him and gave him a little smile.

"But, I don't think I should leave my station."

"Stretch, run to the bathroom, and then get back here on the double. I got the bridge."

Wash needed no more encouragement, jumped up, gave her a quick kiss and dashed to their bunk as Zoe sat in the pilot's chair. She glanced at River.

"Sorry, just can't help my thoughts."

"I know," the teen replied. "I'm used to it. Simon's especially. He loves her, you know?"

"Kaylee? Yeah, I thought so. Think she feels the same. So, something did happen between them?"

"Yes. A beginning."

"Let's hope there's a chance for more than that."

"There will be."

"You're awful certain. Anything I should know?"

"Just a feeling I have. Sometimes it very fuzzy, but I know some things."

"How come you didn't see this coming? I mean them getting taken under the surface."

"The drugs make it difficult at times. And truthfully, I didn't sense any ill will from this base or its occupants."

"But now?"

"Something has changed."

They were silent for a moment, both thinking on the men out there, somewhere, out of contact and running out of time, or so they thought. Zoe gazed at River, one more thing on her mind now that the two had a brief chance to talk.

"When Jubal Early came, and you were in his ship, the thing you said about us being better off without you…"

"It's true."

"No, River, it ain't." Zoe wanted to say more but then Kaylee's voice came through the comms and Zoe had to focus on the problems at hand.

"Serenity?" came Kaylee's voice. "Still there, I hope."

"No where else to go," Zoe replied. "Status?" "At the second building. Same as first. Lots of damage. Looks like some kind of living quarters. Lots of bunks, desks, tables and chairs, computer stations, some kind of kitchen area. It's on two levels, ladders going up through a small central opening to the second level. Looks like no one lived here for a long time."

"Roger," Zoe answered. "Move on to the third building."

"On the way," came the answer just as Wash returned.

"Oh, I needed that. Man's bladder can only stand so much coffee and sitting," Wash remarked, trying to make a joke to ease the tensions. Zoe and River both smiled and Wash felt glad he made them relax even for just a second. His job was to fly the boat and when there was no piloting to be done he felt a little useless at times. Sitting and waiting he got used to over the years, waiting for Zoe and Mal and Jayne and others to call him to get them out of one scrape or another. The waiting he thought was harder than what they did but he'd never say that cause they'd just remind him of how safe and secure he was in his pilot's seat.

"How's Kaylee doing?" Wash asked as he sat back at his station.

"Almost at the third building," River answered.

* * *

Kaylee had to open one more air lock door and then she was in the third building. She flashed her light around, hoping there'd be no more surprises like the first building. This one was different from the others, with more open space and a large square opening in the center of the floor. The building was some kind of equipment storage, with lots of digging tools, air pressure jack hammers, some small earth movers and the like. The hole was big enough for any piece of equipment and Kaylee quickly found what look like a lift control system. As she shone the light around their were cables hanging down and a structure to support what was clearly some kind of freight elevator. Only problem was it was at the bottom of the shaft. Kaylee peered down and could see it about fifty or sixty feet down.

"Got equipment storage and a big elevator here," she said into her helmet mic.

"Stay out of it," Zoe answered quickly. She didn't need anymore crew disappearing, especially not Kaylee who had the skills to do a lot of things the others couldn't. If Zoe thought on it, Kaylee was the one truly indispensable person on Serenity. Book, Inara and River didn't have any real function on the ship. Both she and Mal had leadership abilities, as did Book for that matter, and could cover for each other like now. Jayne was just muscle and muscle was one thing the verse had in quantity. Simon was a doctor, yes, and sort of indispensable but they did get along without him for many years. But Zoe was sure glad he'd been with them the past eight months. She probably wouldn't be here if he hadn't been on abroad. Wash flew the boat, but so could Mal and Zoe in a pinch and Inara could too, but not as well as her man and they certainly didn't have any piloting training except what they got first hand on Serenity and her shuttles. No, if Kaylee went missing and something went wrong on the ship, they would be in a world of hurt.

"It's at the bottom," said Kaylee. "Looking at the control panel now. Hey, it's got power."

"Just a minute, Kaylee. Don't touch anything." Zoe commanded as Book and Inara came back with the coffee which everyone except River took a cup of. Zoe filled Book and Inara in on what Kaylee had found.

"She shouldn't go down there," Inara said. "There are people there who have taken our men. Or at least won't let them contact us."

"Have her come back to Serenity," Book answered. "She's done the job she was sent to do. We have a way to get below now."

"Sounds like the right thing to do," Wash offered.

Zoe thought as she listened to them. Only River was silent and now Zoe knew why. She was concentrating on the sensors.

"Someone is in that shaft," she said, a worried cast to her comment. 'Getting a thermal image."

"Hey, elevator's moving," Kaylee said. She looked over the side and could see someone in ….a green spacesuit! It was the Capt'n or Simon!

"It's one of our guys! It's a green spacesuit!' she yelled with glee into the mic.

"Kaylee, step back from that elevator," Zoe warned.

"It's Mal!" said Inara with hope.

"Or Simon," Book offered, also with a touch of hope

But River turned to them wide eyed. "It's neither. Kaylee!" she screamed into the comm mic. "Run!"

Kaylee would have if she could have. Running wouldn't have helped anyway, cause no one ran well in the low gravity of the moon, least no one not trained for such an environment. Her heart had been in her throat hoping with all her might it was Simon or the Capt'n. But it wasn't. The elevator was an open platform and the occupant rose into view just as River screamed. It was a strange man in Simon's suit. And he was pointing what could only be a laser at her.

"Serenity, I think I just met the man in the moon," Kaylee said in a small, terrified voice as she raised her arms.

* * *

Simon was led to a small room where the elderly lady helped him out of his spacesuit. Her name was Doris and she was the head nurse for the base. She was a fountain of information as she babbled on as Simon washed and dressed for surgery. There were three nurses, four including her, plus two medical residents but no fully qualified doctor. In fact, the dead doctor's body, along with the chief engineer and the other dead from the spacecraft accident were lying in a nearby room awaiting a proper examination and funeral.

They had spotted Serenity almost as soon as their sensors had a clear view of the section of space the ship arrived in. Being on the moon meant sensors could only see the section the moon was facing as it rotated around the Earth. The news of the appearance of the ship spread like wildfire through the base and all had hoped that they were human and were the travelers from so long ago. Doris told him about Gregori and his wormhole experiments. He and others had been trying for many decades to perfect it and his success seemed to justify his life's work. Not from Simon's point of view but he couldn't help think the man a genius of some sort for creating a wormhole.

"But why were your people trying to contact us?" he asked as they moved to put on his surgical garments.

"Earth was used up and many sensed the war that was to come," she sadly said as she helped Simon dress. "I came here five years ago from Canada and I haven't been back since. Now I never will."

"Five years? How old is the base?"

"Let's see. The surface base is over one hundred years old but hasn't been used in, oh, almost thirty years except for the landing platform and hanger. Used to have an electronic shield to protect if from meteors but they shut it off when they finished the underground complex. Need to save power."

"And where does your power come from, your oxygen, your water?"

"We got a whole cavern full of hydrogen cells to make electrical power, which also produces water as a by product, enough for our needs. What evaporates from our bodies and cooking and so on is collected by…well, don't know exactly, not my field you see. And we recycle a lot of water so nothing is wasted. We got three big caverns growing plants and trees, our fresh fruit and vegetables. That's what we been surviving on for the most part last few months. A lot of our power goes there for the artificial sunlight that's needed. Of course, the plants produce oxygen and clean carbon dioxide and we also have carbon dioxide scrubbers. It's enough since we're so few in number."

"How few?"

"At times we had more than six hundred people here. Mostly researchers, support people like myself. And the military. A lot left before the war as tensions rose. Now, after the accident, I think about ninety-six are left."

"There are survivors on Earth," Simon said as he sensed her sadness.

"We know. We can see the fires with our long range viewing sensors. I don't know much about that though. Just trying to take care of the sick and injured. And the depressed. We've had people… harm themselves. With so few left, it's just…unthinkable."

"There are whole worlds of humans in our quadrant of space. Almost three billion people," Simon offered as a ray of hope for this lady whom he was liking more every minute.

Her face brightened a bit. "I'm glad the traveler's made it and I'm glad they flourished. Some people on Earth, in my generation, didn't believe the stories, said it was a myth to give people hope. It was so long ago. Those few years when the ships of every race and country went to the stars on their decades-long voyage. And no word until now. Some people have said it's like a miracle, an answer from God in our time of need. I'm sorry there are so few of us to see this miracle."

Simon could sense her profound faith in something higher than man and knew Shepherd Book would have work to do here once the captain felt satisfied everything was safe. They exited the room when Simon was dressed and walked alone a corridor until they reached a computer terminal just outside a door marked "Surgery".

"Let's look at these scans of the first patient, Doctor Tam. Joseph Papusha, male age 33, Caucasian, Russian ethnicity. Compound fracture of the left tibia, three fracture ribs, upper left quadrant, a punctured left lung, second degree burns on ten percent of his body, mostly the chest area. Signs of blood in the lung."

"What happened to him?"

"He was attempting to rescue people after he landed the ship when a secondary explosion threw him against a bulkhead. You know, the survivors were all in spacesuits that didn't get damaged. The ship was venting into space and the fire died quickly, no oxygen in space. We had to put on spacesuits and EVA to get them. Then we carried them through the old base to the freight elevator."

"It must have been hard."

"Every life is precious now. We are so few. Sorry."

Simon didn't know what to say so concentrated on the scans of the patient on the computer screen.

"The leg appears to have been set well. It might need to be fused. I think we'll need to check on the lung first. Any infection?"

"No, we have wonderful antibiotics. You know doctor, I was worried that your medicine and ours would be different, but then I remembered that a human is a human no matter where he is in the universe."

"Yes, a human is a human, no matter where in the verse. Unfortunately, the good and the bad go with that human. Let's take a look at Mr. Papusha."

"Captain Papusha. He's military," she said this with a touch of distaste.

"No matter our feelings for soldiers, we must do our job."

"Of course, doctor, just…he's Russian also and…they started the war. Not him or his wife or her father. There not exactly Russian citizens, Gregori moved to America long ago to work on his project and Tanya was born there and Joseph and his family are citizens of the Alliance too, but still many people have strong feelings about them."

"I think they should be thanking Gregori and Tanya. From what you told me they may be the very salvation of these people."

* * *

Jayne and Mal didn't think so, the Russian genius now looking at them and holding a very large needle. They were in a small room, handcuffed to two chairs that were bolted to the floor, facing each other across a small table. A small window was to one side and Mal had a feeling people were on the other side watching them. The very fact that they had a room like this means they've had some trouble here in the past. The two men had be forced in here, striped of their spacesuits, and then cuffed to these chairs. No spacesuits meant no shoes, cause you didn't wear shoes in a space suit. You wore clothes of course and luckily both Mal and Jayne had worn pants instead of just underwear as some folks did. Mal had on his mauve shirt and Jayne wore one of his yellow t-shirts.

Getting them out of their suits had not been all that fun for the Alliance boys. Jayne had gotten an arm free and sucker punched one of the guards and Jayne now had a bruise and a spot of blood on his forehead for his trouble after a guard smashed his weapon on his noggin. Jayne was staggered for a moment and then just grinned at the guard and told him he'd be the first one he killed. The guard turned a little bit paler and Jayne felt satisfied these boys knew Jayne Cobb was no pussy cat.

At the moment Gregori was sticking Mal's arm with the needle which was full of something and if Mal had an arm free Gregori would have gotten sucker punched, too, Mal not giving a hoot if he was a genius who could send Serenity and its crew home.

"Doctors and scientists, always sticking people full of needles," he said as he glared at Gregori.

Gregori said nothing but his face belied that he didn't enjoy this. He went to give an injection to Jayne from the same needle. "Hey, shouldn't you change needles or least clean that one," Jayne said, showing a trace of fear. Jayne absolutely hated needles of any kind.

"I don't have anything you don't, Jayne," Mal said. "And I bet you got a lot more bugs in you than me."

"It's perfectly safe," Gregori said as he jabbed Jayne and the big man grimaced. Just then Commander Jackson entered the room.

"Your hospitality keeps getting better all the time," Mal said in an even tone.

"Yeah, I'm sure gonna recommend this place to the folks back home," Jayne added.

Jackson ignored their comments and replied evenly. "Gentlemen you have information about your ship and its remaining occupants and your quadrant of the universe that we need and need in a hurry. Gregori has injected you with sodium penatol, a truth serum. So in a few minutes we will begin the questioning."

With that he and Gregori turned to leave. "Hey I got some truth for you right now!" Jayne yelled. "My foot's gonna be up your ass when I get out of this chair!"

"Wasting your time, Jayne," Mal began and then stopped, his head feeling fuzzy and the walls of the room seeming to expanded and contract. "Whoa."

"The drugs are already taking affect. We will be talking to you shortly," said Jackson and then they were gone, followed by two armed soldiers. Jayne and Mal were alone now but Mal knew they were being watched and listened to, this Earth version of the Alliance stooges hoping they'd give away something.

"Don't say a word," he whispered to Jayne. But Jayne's face was hazing out the way Mal felt and he knew this was gonna be bad, the truth from Jayne Cobb. Mal only had to wait a few seconds while Jayne blinked his eyes a few times and then turned and glared at Mal.

"I'll talk if I wanna talk. You're always bossing me and the others around. Captain, sir, yes, Captain, sir! You got Zoe calling you "sir" and Kaylee don't even know your first name I bet always calling you "Capt'n". Even got River saying "aye, aye" now like were in the military."

"Shut your yap Jayne or so help me by the Shepherd's God I'll shut it for you!"

"You ain't so tough. Been wanting to smack you myself since I came on board."

"Then how come you ain't done it yet. Had lots of chances."

"Cause Zoe would have killed me the second after I killed you."

"Kill me is it now? I knew you wanted to take over my ship the moment you set foot on her. You turned on your last captain, what was his name?"

"Marco. That guy was a real scum bag, not like you, Mal. Least I respect you."

"You don't know if you're coming or going. Want to kill me and respect me, Jayne?"

"Sure. Would have killed you by now if I didn't respect you. And Zoe. You got a right mad streak that means you're dangerous to have as an enemy. Plus you got balls. Marco had none. We pulled that Ariel job. That took balls, walking right into an Alliance hospital and robbing them blind."

"That was almost the end of you, Jayne."

"You never would have spaced me, would you, Mal?"

"I came within a second of doing so."

"What stopped you, knowing I'd been looking for some payback somewhere down the road?"

"Cause of what you said about making something up to tell the crew. Then I knew you had a small dose of humanity in you, enough to matter."

"I ain't this sweaty animal everyone on Serenity thinks I am. You all got the wrong notion of me."

"Turning in Doc and River doesn't put you much higher than a snake in my book, Jayne."

"Come on, Mal, you know it's the right play. We can get 200,000 credits, maybe more if the reward has gone up. Fix up the ship, have a nice vacation, pure gravy."

"Simon saved my life, Kaylee's and Zoe's too, patched you up many a time. And this is how we repay him?"

"Yeah, I got a real bad feeling about that for just a few seconds when I called the feds on Ariel. There were almost tears."

"Sometimes you're just a mean son-of-a-bitch, Jayne Cobb. I ain't gonna tell them but you best not let Simon ever know what happened. He'll find a way to kill you no one will ever suspect."

"Ah, ain't no worries there, Mal. He already knows and I'm still breathing. Moon brain figured it out. We had a chat about it, came to a peaceful accord."

"Well, I'll be. Guess that don't surprise me that much, Doc being the man he is. But don't ever let Kaylee find out. She'd turn off the heat, air, and water in your bunk in a sec. We'd find a bloated, frozen crewman for sure one morning."

"She's really that sweet on the Doc, ain't she?"

"You blind as him? Course she is."

"That's too bad. Always liked Kaylee. Too bad she never recognized my mannish charm. Hey, don't give me that look. Save it for Simon, he's one your mei mei is after, big brother. I ain't laid a hand on her or no other on the boat and you know that's the truth."

"I know cause none of them would have you."

"Yeah, not even your whore if I had a million credits."

Mal turned red and struggled with his bonds. "Jayne, them's fighting words! Inara ain't a whore!"

"What? You're always calling her it to her face and technically, she is a whore! Just one who won't take my business."

"She ain't a whore, she's a lady, a lovely, beautiful, refined, gorgeous, stunning, lady. She smells so nice, her eyes make me mad, just want to…just want to."

"You got it bad for her. Whole crew knows it, she knows it, you know it. Women right in front of you and you don't even see them. Don't know who's stupider, you or the Doc."

"That'd be me and you for babbling on like this."

"Indeed, Captain Reynolds," came Jackson' voice from some hidden speaker. "And now we can begin the real questioning."

* * *

"Kaylee!" Zoe yelled in the mic, fear gripping the hearts of the whole crew on the bridge of Serenity. "What's happening?"

"He's got a laser pointing at me," she replied in almost a whisper. And then they heard another voice, a man's, with a slight Chinese accent, coming through the comms

"Get on the elevator and stop talking to your friends," the man said, this strange voice startling all on the bridge.

"You bastard!" Zoe yelled after she recovered from the shock, adding a few choice Chinese curse phrases for this man's ears. "What have you done with our people?"

"Please control your temper. They are fine," came the reply. "That is all that I am authorized to tell you. Kaylee is it? Please drop your equipment and get on the elevator. Now."

"Don't do it, Kaylee!" Zoe shouted.

"I ain't got much choice here. He got a laser you know," Kaylee replied, her fears communicated clearly by her tone of voice.

"Kaylee, it's Inara," the Companion began, mustering all her skills at telling people what they wanted to hear even though she was scared to death for her friend and the others. "Be calm. Keep strong. We'll get out of this. Don't do anything to anger them. Stay safe."

"That is very good advice," the man said. "Let's go."

"Thanks, Inara. I will." And then on the imaging screen they could see the thermal image of Kaylee joining the man and then the two going down the shaft as the elevator obviously descended.

Zoe moved to River's station. "Mark Kaylee and keep her on scope as long as your can and then switch to x-ray."

"Already on it," River replied.

Zoe was now silent as the others looked to her. What to do now? No more spacesuits and if these people had lasers then Serenity's crew had no way to defend themselves in space anyway. They still had the Lassiter on board but it was ancient and a piece of junk and useless as far as being a weapon. The shuttles didn't have airlocks and there didn't appear to be any place to dock them if they did. That left the landing pad where Simon, Mal, and Jayne had disappeared. But it was closed tight and now that Kaylee was gone they'd never figure out how to open it. She looked at Book and he could see the dilemma she was struggling with.

"I guess about now they will be contacting us," Book said and all turned to the Shepherd, Zoe grateful more than ever that he was with them. "It seems logical that this ship is their goal. They have shown hostile intent and now have four of our people and will most likely use them as bargaining chip for our cooperation."

"Why do they need Serenity?" Inara asked.

"Cause their spaceship is banged up all to hell," replied Wash and they could just see the burned out ship from the edge of the right side of Wash's cockpit window.

"They need food, water, other things from Earth," Zoe said. "Look for survivors. Maybe return and start over."

"No, I don't think a return to Earth is on their minds," Book said.

"Where else would they go?" Wash asked. "Ain't a lot of livable places round about."

Zoe finally got what the Shepherd was driving at. "They want to come to our place in the verse cause theirs is a pile of rubble now."

"Exactly," Book said. "Remember I said God had something to do with us arriving at Earth? Now I think it has more to do with man, or men, whoever is on this base and whoever made the wormhole."

"Made the wormhole?" Wash said in mock surprise. "I think I'll stick with God on the whole wormhole thing."

No one laughed as they were looking at River who was very pensive. "Is it possible?" Inara finally asked her.

"Possible, yes," the teen answered, not taking her eyes off the scopes as she tried to track Kaylee. "Most definitely. We are here after all. How? I'm not sure. But possible. Yes."

"If they made it, then we can go home!" said Wash trying to sound up beat.

"If they made it," Zoe replied. "They'll want to take Serenity and go themselves. And maybe leave us behind on this rock."

"But they need Wash and Kaylee and…." Inara started and stopped when she realized that they only needed Wash and Kaylee.

"And that's all,' said Zoe.

"Maybe not even us,' said Wash more forlornly, the pessimism of his companions even influencing his normal good cheer. "After all, they sent our ancestors to the stars. Built this base here. I'm sure they have at least one pilot and a bunch of engineers."

"They try to take the ship, there'll be blood spilt for sure," Zoe said evenly. Book gave her one his serious looks.

"And our people? Kaylee, Simon, Mal, and Jayne? What of them? We start killing these people and they will harm our friends. We can't risk any hostile action."

"Don't count Mal out yet," Zoe answered. "I bet he's planning his escape right now."

* * *

"Ain't no way out of this mess, Jayne," Mal said across the table to his fellow captive crewmate. "And that's the truth since this stuff is making me say what I'd keep to myself in a regular situation."

"I was planning on snapping these cuffs and beating the gorramn hell outta the next guy through the door, but they're just too darn strong." As he said this he once again tried to use brute strength to break the handcuffs but it was no go.

"There are ten armed guards in the vicinity. Let's not have any unnecessary bloodshed. Okay? Let us begin with the questions," came Jackson's voice from the speaker. "We already know your other companion is Doctor Simon Tam, your ship is called Serenity and we have heard the names Zoe, Kaylee, River, Shepherd, and Inara. Is there anyone else?"

"We forgot Wash," said Jayne before Mal could tell him to shut up again and then before he knew it Mal felt the urge to expand on Jayne's answer.

"He's the pilot," Mal said and then wished he had a hand free to shove down his own throat to keep himself from talking.

"And the others? What are their positions?" Jackson asked.

"Let's see,' Mal began. "Zoe's second in command and Wash's wife. Zoe and I were in the war together."

"She still calls him 'sir'," Jayne added. "And he wasn't even an officer, just a sergeant."

"I got a temporary battlefield commission at Serenity Valley, you knucklehead. Was a sergeant first day, a lieutenant three days later, and a captain by the end of the battle. And that's why she calls me 'sir'. Zoe's a hell of a lady, great in a fight. Kill you without batting an eyelash," Mal said and then thought on who was next most important and it had to be his mechanic. "Kaylee's mechanic and she keeps the boat in the air. Best I ever met, knows everything about Serenity. Be lost without her sometimes."

"And she's real cute, too," Jayne said and Mal gave him that look again.

"Apparently she is smitten with Doctor Tam?" asked Jackson.

"Yeah, she's got it bad for Simon," Mal answered. "He's a bit uptight. You know the type."

"Sure he does. Sees one every time he looks in the mirror," Jayne said and then started laughing and Mal looked at him like he was crazy.

"Think you gave Jayne bit too much," Mal said and then continued describing the crew. "Now Shepherd Book, he's a preacher, don't know what denomination since I ain't got much use for religion. He doesn't have any official function on the ship, just a passenger but he's been with us a while and he's mighty handy in a fight, too. We think he's ex-military or police."

"Is that so?" came the voice of the base commander. "A preacher with a secret past? That will bear further inquiry. What about River, the doctor's sister I believe?"

"She's our resident brain," Mal said. "My science advisor. Knows everything about the verse. She got a big powerful brain."

"Yeah. She knows it all, more than is healthy far as I'm concerned,' said Jayne, his fit of giggles gone now.

"A transport ship with a science advisor? Very odd, Captain. And why did Mr. Cobb try to turn her and her brother into the Alliance for a reward?"

"Cause it's a lot of money," Jayne answered. "Folks like us gotta take a payday wherever we can find one."

"Why does the Alliance want them?"

"We don't know," Mal started. "Doc broke her outta some high tech facility for smart people and we gave them passage. First they were just passengers but now they're crew. Simon said they were experimenting on her brain, trying to make her something she ain't. Simon don't even know what they did to her and River sure as hell can't remember."

"This bares further examination. Perhaps Doctor Tam could tell us more. Now, the last person. Inara. You called her a whore, Mr. Cobb."

"Cause she is one," Jayne said with a smirk.

"Jayne, I warned you about that. I think that fistfight you been putting off is gonna happen mighty soon. The correct term is Companion and she's a high class lady of the stars."

"Ah, a woman who trades sex for money in a traveling spaceship. This is one more of your illegal activities I take it."

"Nope, perfectly legal, about only thing on Serenity that is" Jayne said. "Why? Ain't you all got legal whores?"

"On Earth in some nations, but the Alliance forbids the sex trade. A losing battle I'm afraid. Well, not too much of a concern anymore."

"You got any here? Whores I mean?" Jayne asked and Mal just shook his head.

Jackson actually seemed embarrassed. "Er, ah, no, Mr. Cobb. Not to my knowledge."

"Gee, that's too bad. I was just starting to think this might be a nice place to settle down," Jayne said. "But no whores? Not for me."

"Captain Reynolds has affection for this lady, unrequited affection. Quite the crew you have, captain. And finally, Mr. Cobb. You aren't a payload specialist, are you?"

"Hell, no. I'm a gun for hire. Mal tells me who to shoot and I shoot 'em. I bet your name is gonna be at the top of the list real soon."

"Count on it,' Mal stated. "And Jayne? Make it hurt."

"With pleasure."

"Yes, yes, your threats to my life are most terrifying. Do you think I am a stranger to death? Now you have a common enemy now so you are united but it is obvious there is no love lost between you two. Why are you still on this ship, Mr. Cobb?"

"Cause its more comfortable than others I been on, got my own bunk, Mal pays well, when a job comes through, and there are some awful beautiful ladies on board. Sides, we all almost like, guess you could say family now."

"A family? But you want to turn two of them in for a reward, call one of the ladies a whore, want to bed another, think about killing the captain and taking over his ship, and were almost killed by the captain himself. This is a family?"

"Every family got its bad apples and black sheep," Mal answered. "Jayne's ours."

"How very interesting. Now, Gregori has some questions about your quadrant of space and the history of your people."

"We don't know much. Just keep flying, get a job, keep my crew safe," Mal said, his head still groggy from the drugs that were forcing him and Jayne to tell the truth. "River and Simon know all that stuff. Maybe Shepherd and Inara too cause they all got some education."

"Let's start with something you do know," Gregori asked. "Tell me about the war that you were in. Which side were you on?"

"Losing side," Mal answered trying not to but failing once again. "Hell, ain't much to say. I killed some of them and then we lost."

"Why did your side lose and the Alliance win?"

"Serenity Valley," Mal replied.

"Tell me about Serenity Valley."

* * *

Kaylee had dropped her equipment including the tool belt and was taken by the strange man in Simon's spacesuit onto the elevator and down the shaft. At the bottom was a huge airlock, one of the biggest Kaylee had ever seen, and it was clear that they had used this place for excavation of the underground complex. The man hit buttons and Kaylee made sure she saw what he did for possible future reference. Keep calm. Stay strong. Be safe. She kept repeating Inara's words in her head and that helped her acute case of anxiety.

After they passed through the airlock Kaylee began to notice the increasing gravity. Two others without spacesuits were waiting for them and they help the Chinese man remove his helmet. They motioned Kaylee to do the same and reluctantly she did so.

"Welcome to Moon Base Armstrong," one of the men said in a friendly manner.

"Sorry, if I don't feel like this is much of a welcome," Kaylee replied in a hurt tone. "Folks where I'm from don't point guns at people they welcome to their home."

"Never mind with the pleasantries," the Chinese man said. "Follow them."

And then he was gone down a corridor and Kaylee was led by the two others to a small room nearby. There was a bed and a chair and a bottle of what looked like water and some raw vegetables on a small plate. A pair of white slippers were next to the bed.

"Please remove your spacesuit and relax. We will return when the commander is ready to question you."

"Question me?"

"That is all we can tell you," the other said. Then he hesitated for a moment. "Are you really from the other side of the galaxy?" And as he asked this his companion gave him a stern look but said nothing.

"Yeah, guess so. Earth and this moon certainly ain't home."

The man just smiled and they were about to leave but Kaylee wanted to know some things too. "Where are the other three…my crewmates? Are they safe?"

"Yes. The captain is meeting with our commander and the doctor is taking care of the injured from the spaceship accident."

Kaylee suddenly felt much better hearing this. "The doctor? If you see him, tell him Kaylee says… says hi."

"If I see him. Kaylee," the man said and then the other was giving him that look again and then they were gone.

After they left she noticed another door the open door had been blocking. She opened it and there was a small bathroom with just a toilet and sink. Guess the toilet will be with us for all eternity Kaylee thought. No one on Earth or in her section of the verse had come up with a better way. Kaylee took off her suit and then put on the slippers. She tried the main door but it was locked as she expected. She was a bit thirsty and drank the water and nibbled on some carrots and a cucumber and sat on the bed and an hour passed and then two. She lay down and tried to sleep but her mind was going in a million directions. After three hours she was ready to cry and was forgetting Inara's words and then the door opened and was closed and locked again in a few seconds.

"Kaylee?"

"Oh, God!" she gasped and ran into Simon's arms. She did cry then and he held her tight and kissed her. He moved her to the bed and sat down and Kaylee began to calm a bit.

"Tell me everything that's happened," he said and Kaylee began to talk.

* * *

Jayne and Mal were now in a different room and the drugs were wearing off. They had told Jackson and Gregori everything they could think of about their corner of the verse and the guilt of what they had done was now overwhelming them. They sat on opposite beds, a small table with water bottles and plates of vegetables between them, and were both exhausted from their ordeal. Jayne was staring at Mal, still reeling from the stories Mal told about Serenity Valley. Mal knew what he was thinking.

"Don't you ever tell the others what I did, Jayne. They wouldn't understand. Zoe does cause she was there. You do cause you know what death looks like, and what a man has to do to survive, for his people to survive. Maybe the Shepherd does, too. But the others, they'd never understand. Especially not Kaylee or Inara. Don't want them to know what kind of a man I once was."

"You did what had to be done. They panicked and the rest would have run too and you all would have been dead. You had to do it."

"Don't make it right," was all Mal said and he just lay down and let his demons come, thankful for being exhausted so sleep came easier than it did on many a night.

* * *

River had tracked Kaylee to the room and then nothing happened for a long time. Nobody wanted to go to bed but Zoe finally convinced Inara and Book to get some rest and Wash was dozing in his chair. River refused to leave but she was red eyed and Zoe knew the drugs were wearing off, River making more and more cryptic comments and feeling the emotions of the crew that much stronger. Zoe was just about to ask her what Simon usually gave her before bed when the comms channel came to life and in a second Wash, River, and Zoe were wide awake.

"Serenity, this is Commander Samuel Jackson of Moon Base Armstrong. I would like to speak to Zoe Washburne, please. It's time we had a chat."


	7. Chapter 7

_Plans are made and surprises are in store as Zoe comes to a decision with regard to rescuing her lost companions._

**The Return – Part 7 **

Serenity sat on the surface of Earth's single moon, over an underground base where its crew had hoped to find help in the quest to return to their quadrant of the galaxy. Instead, they found deceit and danger of a magnitude that was revealing itself in bits and pieces. First, Mal, Jayne, and Simon had been taken below the surface when a lunar spaceship landing pad descended while they were standing on it. It was clear to Zoe now, as she sat on Serenity's bridge, that this was done on purpose. Kaylee then EVA'd in an attempt to find a way under the surface to find their missing crewmen. Just as she reached an elevator in the abandoned surface base, she was taken by force and was now under the surface also. Three and a half hours had passed since Kaylee's capture and with no more spacesuits and no way to get below the surface, Zoe felt helpless. Then came the voice from the comms.

"Serenity, this is Commander Samuel Jackson of Moon Base Armstrong. I would like to speak to Zoe Washburne, please. It's time we had a chat."

Wash had been dozing but instantly opened his eyes and turned to his wife. River looked at both of them and had a wild look in her eyes.

"It's him, the leader."

Not now River, keep it together for a few more minutes, Zoe wanted to scream but didn't. Zoe waited a second before answering, exhaustion clouding her judgment and she needed to be fresh to talk to this man and rescue her people. She heeded the Shepherd's words to be careful, not knowing what has happened or would happen to their crewmates and friends if the other side perceived hostile intent. Slowly she reached for the comms button.

"This is Zoe Washburne. Go ahead, Commander."

"Captain Reynolds, Doctor Tam, Mr. Cobb, and Miss Frye are safe. Doctor Tam has been most helpful in treating some of our injured people. Our intentions are not to harm anyone. We simply need your spaceship."

"You can understand from my point of view Commander that keeping four of my crewmates by force in no way eases the path toward a peaceful accord here. You could have just asked for our help and we might have given it. I'm sure Captain Reynolds has told you by now that we accidentally ended up here and we just want to return home."

"That is very clear. But I cannot allow that to happen. Not yet at least. I am responsible for the lives on this base and those remaining on Earth. We have been out of communication with Earth for almost two years and could very well constitute the only known entity of the Alliance still remaining and thus the role of leadership falls to us and to myself specifically. We know that there are planets filled with humans in your quadrant. But in ours not much remains. I need Serenity to ensure contact with Earth and to hope to rebuild our civilization. And Captain Reynolds does not seem to be the type of man to have given up his ship so easily."

"Darn right he wouldn't have. Guess we're at an impasse here. I ain't opening the door to this ship till my people are free. All I got is your word that they are all right."

"Zoe?" and it was Kaylee's voice, quiet and scared sounding but Kaylee nevertheless.

"Kaylee? What's happening? How's everyone?"

"I'm fine, we're all fine. I saw Simon and the Capt'n and Jayne. Everyone's fine. It don't seem like they hurt anyone. Simon spent his time taking care of sick folk. Don't know what Capt'n and Jayne been doing but these folks, they know an awful lot about us and Serenity. They've got atmo down here, and more gravity, and water and some food."

Jackson came back on the line. "I hope that eases your fears somewhat. I take it from a chat I had with Captain Reynolds that you are second in command. I do not wish to harm anyone but we are in a precarious position here and so are you. You cannot have enough supplies to outlast us and even if you did return to Earth you could not protect yourself against possible radiation poisoning. We can. So, I offer a deal. Bring Serenity to the landing pad, we'll bring it below. I will outfit an expedition to return to Earth with some of my people and some of your people. When the expedition is complete and we assess the situation on Earth we will make a decision with regards to the future. By that I mean whether we will stay in this quadrant of space or attempt to return to yours."

"Then I'm guessing you all have the means to send us home?"

"It's possible."

Wash smiled as he heard this and River also gave a little lopsided grin. Zoe could see the exhaustion lined in both their faces and she felt the same.

"Commander, I need time to think. We've been up a long spell now and my people and I need a rest."

"I didn't realize. Our day had just started when your crewmates went for their first moonwalk. I understand. You may have the necessary time. From my discussions with your crew members I've come to understand that your corner of the galaxy still relies on a 24 hour time measuring system, at least in space travel. How does six hours sound?"

"Make it eight," said Zoe, not wanting to have to rush any plans she needed to make.

"Then it is agreed. We will continue these discussions in eight hours time. I will enable you to talk to Captain Reynolds at that time if it will make things any easier."

"Letting my people go will make this mighty easier," Zoe said and let a trace of her anger out.

"Eight hours," Jackson replied, ignoring her request. "Moon Base Armstrong, out."

"Serenity out,' said Zoe. He sounded pleasant but his intentions were not. Zoe understood Jackson's situation but that meant nothing to her under the circumstances. He had to look out for his people and she had to look out for hers. She turned to Wash, "Can you put us in a low moon orbit?"

"I could but I'd really like to save the fuel for the VTOL's. Why not just stay here?"

Zoe shook her head no. 'Don't trust them not to come in while we sleep and we're all too beat to set a night watch."

"I'll keep the proximity warning set and tune it so even the smallest thing will set it off, even a person in a spacesuit with a cutting tool."

"Sounds like a better plan. Set ship for night planet side rest, baby."

"Roger that," Wash said as he started powering down the various instruments and controls and adjusting the proximity warning system.

"River, come with me," Zoe stated as she turned to leave the bridge and River followed her.

"We're going to the infirmary," the teen said as she followed Zoe down the bridge stairs and through the fore hall.

"That we are. Time we talked on your medication plan."

* * *

Kaylee had told Simon everything that had happened and he told her all about his experiences and working with the medical staff examining and helping the injured. He also explained everything Doris told him about the war and the base. Kaylee was intrigued about their power supply and how they recycled the water and everything else, but Simon didn't know much about that and she could see the effect her story was having on her man. He was shocked that Kaylee had been forced by laser point to come here, all the more so since he had nothing but good experiences with the residents of the base. A man had even come to show him to this room, told him he could rest here. Simon had thought Mal and Jayne would be here and they would be getting ready to leave. He was stunned when he opened the door to see the love of his life lying on a bed almost in tears. Now after hearing Kaylee's tale he suspected that Jayne and Mal and all of them were in deep trouble.

"What are we gonna do?" Kaylee lamented.

"We stay calm first," he told her as he hugged her tight. Waves of exhaustion and anger swept over Simon, unable to fathom why this was happening when they all needed each other, the Earth devastated and both parties far from any form of civilization. He only had the briefest encounters with Commander Jackson and Gregori Kovalev so could not understand what was really going on.

"You must be hungry," she said, wanting to take care of him. "There's some water here and a bit of food and they got a bathroom."

"Yes, I am hungry. Thank you," he said and then Simon washed his face and hands, and then drank and ate some, sharing it with Kaylee as they sat on the bed. If it hadn't been such a terrible situation he would have enjoyed this first meal alone with her.

"Such a crazy day," Kaylee said, finally putting into words what they were both thinking. "Just this afternoon I was hoping to finally…you know…us."

Simon smiled a bit. "Us. Yeah." And he looked at the bed they were sitting on. "Kaylee, I'm dieing to be with you, too, but now, this situation, and I'm so tired, and…"

"Don't worry. I know that you want it as much as me. I'm beat, also. We could lie down together, though? Bed's big enough. If we lie real close and hold each other."

"I think I could stand it," he said with a slight grin.

Simon took off the slippers they had given him and Kaylee did the same. She lay down and then he was beside her, lying face to face, looking into each others eyes, arms around each other tight.

"Tell me it's gonna be all right," Kaylee whispered as she kissed him and snuggled into his arms.

She was so warm and felt so wonderful Simon wanted to tell her all would be well but that would be a lie. "I wish I could, but I don't know what will happen. There are some nice people here. We've got to talk to this Commander."

Then they hear the sound of the door being unlocked. They quickly sat up and two armed men entered the room.

"Come with us," one said and both Simon and Kaylee stood.

"No, Doctor, you are to remain. Just the lady will come."

Simon stood in front of Kaylee. "We're not moving until I talk to someone in charge," he said as fiercely as he could.

"Will I do, Doctor?" Jackson said as he moved into the room with two more guards.

"Commander Jackson? What's going on?" Simon said with a touch of the angry that was now building in him.

"We have need of your ship and this young lady as I've been told she is the ship's engineer."

"Mechanic," Kaylee said quietly.

"Captain Reynolds raves about your talent Miss Frye so I would not be amiss to call you an engineer."

"You're lying. Capt'n'd never tell you nothing about us or the boat."

"You'd be surprised what I now know. Such as your affection for the Doctor here," and Kaylee was indeed surprised at this from a man she had never met in her life.

Simon's anger was now peaking. "I know that I've been doing nothing but helping your people since I came here against my will and this is how you repay us? By kidnapping Kaylee and doing who knows what to our crewmen to make them talk. And now it seems you are also demanding our ship?"

"You have every right to be angry, Doctor. We are most grateful for your aide. I don't wish to harm anyone but I have need of Serenity and your captain's temperament seems too independent to allow this. The young lady will come to our communications center and will talk to Zoe Washburne on Serenity and tell them that no one has been harmed. Then she will return here as soon as possible."

Simon was about to argue more but he saw the look in Kaylee's face, pleading with him to remain calm, and also knew it was good to have her talk to Zoe, if Jackson was telling the truth about this. And then there were the four men with the machine pistols, which made any protests of Simon's in vain. But Simon had to make Jackson understand how much he truly cared for Kaylee. "If anything happens to her I'll never lift a finger to help anyone on this base ever again."

"You and she are perfectly safe, Doctor. I need you both. Your talents are indispensable."

"It's OK, Simon," Kaylee said to him gently. "I'll go. Just wants me to talk to Zoe, that's all."

Simon nodded but had a knot of tension in his gut. "See you soon," he said and wanted to kiss her but felt awkward in front of these people. Kaylee didn't care though and gave him a quick peck to the cheek, put on her slippers and followed the commander and the men out the door. Simon sat on the bed, worried and dejected, the second time in one day someone had forced him and Kaylee apart.

* * *

Kaylee was led down a corridor until they reached the main corridor that was like a central artery through the underground base. Tired as she was, Kaylee kept her eyes opened, looking for as many details as she could, trying to get the lay out of the base in her head. The corridors were all covered in plastic sheeting and Kaylee was sure steel or another stronger material was underneath. No rock or part of the moon were exposed anywhere. Lighting was bright but muted, strong lighting not being necessary in these corridors. The walls and floor were scratch and marred in places and there was a distinct age about the place. She noticed a few burned out light fixtures and some other small problems. Maintenance of these little things did not seem to be a priority. Or maybe they didn't have the supplies to repair everything. Simon said it had been almost two years since the war and they had had no re-supply since then. Nothing seemed more advance or much different from what her corner of the verse had. Of course, she hadn't seen everything yet. One thing she did notice. Nobody else was about, the corridors silent and empty.

At last they reached the communications center and the first thing Kaylee saw was a set of screens showing both her and Simon's rooms and where the Capt'n and Jayne were. She felt a slight bit of anger mixed with embarrassment as she realized they had been watching her and Simon and maybe that's how this man knew of their feelings for each other. There had been no visible cameras or vid devices but Kaylee knew from experience how small they could be. Simon now sat on the bed, leaning back against the wall and Kaylee felt a tug of sadness as she saw the worry on his face. In the other room Jayne and the Capt'n were on different beds, the Capt'n lying down staring at the ceiling, seeming to be talking to Jayne. The big man was sitting up in the bed and he was obviously talking to the Capt'n. There was no sound so Kaylee had no idea what was going on.

Jackson contacted Zoe and Kaylee felt so good hearing her voice. After Kaylee's brief chat with her ship, she was led back to her room and once more into Simon's arms. She whispered into his ear about the camera and possible recording devices and she briefly explained what had happened in the communications center. Then once more they lay down together, both exhausted from the days events and sleep came to them in a brief time.

* * *

Try as he might, sleep wasn't coming to Mal. Must be the drugs, he thought, or my brain is too full of guilt for my sins, recent and past, and thoughts on escape. One thing for sure, they'd need spacesuits to get out of here. He couldn't very well talk to Jayne about any escape plan, not knowing who was listening in on their conversations.

"What you think they got planned for us, Mal?" Jayne said from his perch on his bed.

"Don't know. Could be he just wants the boat to take look around Earth, get some supplies. Think if he could get to our quadrant they would have done so themselves long time ago. No, they ain't perfected this here wormhole thing yet. We're an "accident" according to them. Wasn't supposed to be us coming through it. Maybe it was supposed be them coming through our side or someone else from our side coming through. Remember how he seemed to think we were a scientific expedition or representatives of our government?"

"I ain't got a government," Jayne said in disgust. "Got no need for anyone telling me what to do."

"Me, neither," said Mal. "Guess that's one thing we do have in common."

Jayne looked a bit guilty now. "You know Mal, those things we said back there. I didn't mean but half of them."

"No, Jayne we both said what we really meant. I know you've wanted to take over the ship since you came on board."

"Tell the real truth," Jayne started after a long moment of silence. "I ain't got much leadership experience and would do a hell of a lot worse job than you or Zoe. Sides, Doc probably just knock me out again like last time."

Mal almost smiled. "Well, if that's the real truth then I guess you're still ready to follow my orders."

"If it means killing that son-of-a-bitch who I hope is listening now and getting out of this mess, I'm your man."

"That it does."

"You know who I'd like to give some of that there truth stuff they filled us with? The Shepherd. Bet he's got a lot to tell."

"Yeah. Maybe River, too, figure out what the hell they did to her."

"Bet Doc thought of that already and figured it wouldn't work. Maybe her brain can fight it."

"Maybe," Mal said. "Ain't no use using it on Kaylee either. Don't think a lie ever passed her lips. She probably couldn't lie even if she was being questioned like we were."

"Mostly likely not. Now Inara, there's someone who's got a story or two to tell. And I ain't talking about no bedroom story. Course, that'd be nice to hear also."

"Enough, Jayne."

"Just she's got a lot of mystery about her. Didn't mean to talk bad about your lady."

"She ain't my lady!" Mal said with a trace of irritation. "You know the things I said about Inara? Let's keep all that 'tween us."

"Ain't gonna say a word long as you say nothing to Kaylee about how I wanted to turn in her sweetheart and his sis."

"Not a word," Mal said.

"What you think Zoe and the others are doing right now?"

"Making a plan to get us outta here I hope. If not, she's fired. Now, let's get some rest. We got a long road ahead of us."

* * *

River sat on the infirmary examining table while Zoe looked at all the vials of medication on the shelves. Finally, she found the right one.

"I don't think I need it. I feel fine," said River.

Zoe looked at River's chart again in Simon's medical logs. She had asked River what he had given her and she said she didn't know. Either she honestly didn't know or did and didn't want to take her medicine. After a few minutes searching Zoe found a file folder box with all their medical files, each one labeled with a crewman's name. On River's was her daily schedule of medication and the amount she was to be given.

"River, I need you and the rest of the crew to get some sleep. I recall how the first few months on board you'd wake up two, three times a night screaming with nightmares."

"I hate nightmares. Except they're not."

Another cryptic comment which Zoe had no time or energy to decipher. "Real or not I need you to sleep and the rest of us also need to sleep. Wash set the proximity warnings and the ship is locked tight so there's no worries there."

"Drugs make everything fuzzy. Need to think. So much fear and worry."

"Who's afraid?"

"You are. Shepherd is, Inara, Wash. Jayne. Mal is angry, so much anger. And guilt. Simon and Kaylee are together. Simon is worried. Only Kaylee seems happy, a little bit, lying in his arms. But she's worried, too. About us. About Mal. About her father."

"If I give the drugs then you can't sense them, can you?"

"Not much. Now I can feel them. All of them."

"And the base people? This Jackson?"

"Don't know him, can't picture him or his thoughts. He's too far away. But if we were together, I'd know.

"Let's make a deal. I'll give you your night shot so we can rest but only a little, say half, in the morning. When we meet this Jackson, I don't want anything to be too fuzzy."

"Deal," River said and she put out her hand for Zoe to shake it. Zoe put on big grin and River did the same and then they shook hands. Then Zoe filled the syringe with the correct amount and gave River her injection.

"What's our plan?" River asked after a few moments. "I'm very good with a gun, you know. Well, Kaylee knows at least."

"So I've heard. No gunplay needed yet. Oh, we'll meet then with guns but no shooting. We may just accidentally shoot the fellow that can send us home. Want you at my side when I talk to Jackson. Search out his thoughts and intentions."

"Aye, aye," said River and then she jumped down, yawned, and made her way to her bunk after saying goodnight to Zoe.

After she left Zoe stayed and looked at the medical records. She knew she shouldn't do it, it was personal, but couldn't help herself, even as tired as she was. All of their basic information, height, weight, age, hair and eye color and so on was there. Kaylee and River were the youngest, Kaylee 21 and River almost 18. Shepherd was older than she thought but not by much. So was Inara for that matter. Her beauty hid her age. How Simon got them to tell him the truth when they didn't tell the rest of the crew she didn't know but guessed it was because he was a doctor and all this was supposed to be confidential. Now that Zoe thought on it Inara had been aboard Serenity for over a year and they hadn't celebrated a birthday for her yet.

Kaylee's file was filled with her shooting and the operation and her recovery. One particular note was that the bullet had not damaged her reproductive system. Zoe imagined how the shy Kaylee had maybe asked the handsome doctor she was falling in love with about her ability to have babies after being shot. The other files described the various wounds they had sustained; Mal's file was the thickest with these notes and charts and scan images. There was also a long passage on how Simon had reattached Mal's ear that been cut off by Niska's henchman.

Otherwise there were few medical problems, with the exception of River of course. Wash's file made her laugh as he had once asked Simon to help him find his funny bone cause he thought he'd lost it when no one laughed at one of his jokes. Why Simon wrote that here she didn't know but guessed his medical sense of humor couldn't resist having it for some future reference. Jayne's bad diet and high cholesterol was one problem mentioned, which it appears Simon had warned him about a few times, and it appears Jayne still refused to take care of it, with a note about how Jayne declined any medication. The Shepherd had his heart checked out and it was as strong as steel. Simon had also done a few cancer tests on the Shepherd, prostate, lung scan, and so on and there were no problems. Guess a man his age had to worry on these things. For all their science and technology, no one had ever found a cure for cancer, diabetes, or many other problems. Maybe the people of Earth had. River's file was the thickest of all and much of Simon's work was spent in trying to find a cure for his sister. Zoe didn't understand it all but it was apparent her brain had been manipulated by surgery and psychological conditioning of some type. And that's all he knew.

She put away the files and then checked on River and Book, both of whom were fast asleep. Zoe then did a quick walk about, made sure everything was locked down and the ship was tight for the night. At last she made it to the bridge and Wash was waiting for her.

"What took you?" he asked as he gave her a hug. "Got lonely up here."

"Did you really ask Simon to find your funny bone?"

"What? Hey, that's supposed to be….you looked through his files!"

"Just a little peek to find out what to give River," she said to his look of mock hurt. "And I ain't telling you nothing about the others, so don't ask."

"Wasn't going to. So, time for bed?"

"Definitely."

And so the crew of Serenity let slumber overwhelm them, both on and off the ship, as their minds and bodies needed a rest for what was sure to be a trial of fortitude, courage, and desperation if they ever wanted to see their home worlds again.

* * *

Zoe awoke after six hours of deep sleep. She washed and dressed without waking her husband and made her way to the bridge. All was silent and quiet inside and outside Serenity. Soon after she set the kettle to boiling in the kitchen the Shepherd came up from below.

"Seems I slept the night away," he said with a yawn. "Any news?"

As they drank coffee and prepared breakfast Zoe informed him of her conversation with Jackson and her brief chat with Kaylee and all that River had sensed. Then they began to plan for meeting with Jackson and his people.

"How many are there?" Shepherd pondered.

"Hard to say. X-ray scanners only show the base near Serenity but we can tell it goes off further. River counted at least fifty some figures on the scans but we don't know who's who or where our guys are except the room where Kaylee was taken. And River believes Simon's with her now."

"Let's not let anyone on Serenity," Shepherd began. "Except Jackson and maybe one guard. You and River meet him in the cargo bay, talk, find out what he's up to. Maybe have Inara there too, let her beauty distract him a bit. Wash and I will be on the catwalk, armed. You have your gun at your side, let them see you are armed and give River an automatic pistol she can have at her back. If trouble comes she can surprise them. From what Kaylee says, it will quite a surprise if River opens fire."

"We can't chance it. They got our people."

"Zoe, at some point we have to realize that we may have to spill blood, ours and theirs, in order to survive."

"I'm all set to spill their blood. Not sure I want any of ours spilled."

"But we cannot allow this base and its people to get total control of Serenity. We must maintain some advantage here. This is the only spaceship left in this quadrant by all appearances and that is our one and only advantage. They will not damage the ship. They need it as much as we do. If they try to force their way on Serenity, we must fight. And leave if necessary."

"Oh, there will a fight all right if it comes to that. But we don't leave our people behind, either"

"I'm not saying that. Just, we have to protect the ship, at all costs. It's all we have between survival and death and it's our only way back home"

"He's right, baby, "said Wash in a groggy voice as he entered the dinning area. "No way they get the ship and no way anyone flies her but me."

Zoe nodded. "I see what your point is Shepherd but we got to have a plan to rescue them."

"We will. Agree to his terms but tell them you need Mal, Kaylee, and Simon on Serenity. Mal to lead the expedition to Earth, Kaylee to operate the engines, and Simon to help any survivors on Earth."

"And Wash to fly her. Right?" said the pilot, a little bit nervous that Book forgot about him.

"Of course," Book said in a reassuring tone.

"They ain't gonna like that. Then they'll just have one hostage, Jayne."

"And an ornery one at that," said Wash as he sat with a cup of coffee he had just prepared.

"No, they won't," Book answered. "Because Zoe, Inara, River and I will take their place."

"What? That's a bad idea," Wash said. "Then they'll have five hostages instead of four. Baby?"

But Zoe was thinking on the Shepherd's words and what he said was starting to make sense.

"Okay, we'll see if they play along. What's the plan once the exchange is made?"

* * *

Kaylee and Simon had managed to get some rest, despite knowing people were probably watching them, and the nearness of each others body. Why they didn't place them in room with two beds Kaylee didn't know and didn't care. Having him next to her, holding her, was some compensation for the way they were being treated. Of course, if they were on Serenity she'd have and hold him and a whole lot more.

Simon was awake when Kaylee opened her eyes, her handsome doctor staring at her. The lights were on, lower than before but still on, so Kaylee was quite certain they were being watched.

"Morning," he said as she yawned a bit.

"Morning," she replied a little sleepily. "Or is it? Don't really know what time it is here."

"Don't know. I haven't seen any clocks. Sleep well?"

"Mostly. And you?"

"Sort of. The situation we're in and lying next to you made it a bit….difficult."

Kaylee almost smiled. "Glad I can still make a man feel that way."

"Kaylee, you make me feel that way and a whole lot more."

"How much more?" she asked, half teasing but really wondering where he was going with this.

He was silent for a few seconds, looking into her eyes before speaking.

"We don't know what's going to happen so I want to…that is… I feel I should tell you…oh, this isn't the way I planned this. I wanted it to be a lot more romantic."

Kaylee's heart was beating wildly in her chest and she knew what he wanted to tell her. She gave him a little kiss. "It's okay. Just tell me."

He nodded and then took a deep breath and whispered. "Kaylee, I love you."

Time stood still for a brief instance for Kaylee as she savored those words she had so long wanted to hear from him. She couldn't help but break into her sunniest smile and looked deep into his eyes. "I love you, too." And then they kissed and were lost to emotion and didn't care who was watching.

After a long while they broke the kiss and just looked at each other. "Whatever happens, you just remember that I love you," Simon said to her.

"I'll never forget," she breathlessly replied, her body screaming for release of the sexual tension ready to explode. But not now, not in this place, it couldn't happen. And then she couldn't resist asking him. "How long have you…felt this way...about me?"

"Since you picked me up from the dirt in Canton, after that crazy man beat me and threatened to kill me. I think it started then."

"For me, too. My heart almost broke when I saw what had happened to you. All this time…and you never said anything?"

"It's not hard to fathom why. I have River to look after and people chasing us and couldn't have you become part of that, endangering you, too."

"I would have and will be a part of that if we ever get back home. I don't care what the Alliance does. I love you and want to be part of your life."

"Let's hope we have a chance to have that life."

* * *

Mal and Jayne were awaken by armed guards entering their room and giving them bottled water and some apples and oranges, weapons raised and warily watching the men as they handed over the food.

"Ain't you all got bacon and eggs, and oatmeal and pancakes here?" Jayne asked as he looked in disgust at what was given him. One of the guards just shook his head.

"You're lucky you're getting this." And then they left.

Mal picked up an apple and was looking at it a bit paranoid. "I don't have a knife. You try it first."

"What? Ain't no bombs in these apples, Mal. You get killed you think Zoe gonna let them near Serenity?"

"Suppose not. Still, be mighty grateful if you tried one first."

"How grateful? I sure could use a pay raise."

"Well you're on 10% now. Let's make it twelve. Deal?"

"Deal. And don't think I ain't gonna hold you to it if we get out of this mess." Jayne said as he picked up an apple and took a bite. "See,' he mumbled. "No bombs."

"I guess not," Mal said as he picked up an orange and began to peel it. "Maybe I'll just stick with these."

"Gorramn critter food," Jayne snarled as held the apple in his hand. "How do they expect a man to survive on this?"

"Eat it, cause I got a feeling he ain't lying about being lucky to have this," Mal said. "This is fresh fruit, the real thing. Bet they grow it all here."

"Grow fruit on an airless, waterless moon? No rutting way," Jayne replied as he peeled an orange.

"Called hydroponics. You use artificial sunlight, chemicals, and soil and you can grow anything under ground here. You ain't never been a farmer, have you?"

"Nope. Horses is for riding, cows, pigs, and chickens is for eating. Put something in the ground and then it grows, you pick it, cook it, and eat it. That's all I know about farming. My father was a welder and my mother was a piano teacher. And a God fearing woman at that."

"A piano teacher? You ever play?"

"Till my fingers bled from her hitting my hands with a stick. One day I took it from her and broke it into kindling and that was the end of any piano lessons for me. My brother is good at it though. I'm more partial to the guitar. Had an uncle, her brother, taught me guitar. Now that's a man's instrument."

"How come you don't have a guitar on Serenity?"

"Lost the last one I had in a poker game. Or did I use it to pay off a whore? Can't remember."

In a few minutes their meal was done and both were still hungry. "If this is all folks are eating here I can see why Jackson wants my ship to get to Earth," Mal said after he used the bathroom that was attached to their room.

"Fat chance Zoe'll let him on," Jayne said.

"Maybe if I was asking things go smoother."

"Mal, you don't mean to give up do you? Not to this son-of-a-bitch!"

"He's got all the cards, Jayne. Ain't got much choice. 'Sides, I don't want to be roommates with you when you start seeing me more like a cow than your captain."

Jayne almost laughed. "Sounds good but I ain't got a pan big enough for you."

But Mal wasn't paying attention as he looked around at the ceiling. "Jackson! If you're listening, it's time to make a deal!"

"Very well, captain," came Jackson's voice. Then after a few moments the door opened and the guards came in again.

"Come with us, Captain Reynolds," one said.

"What about me?" Jayne asked.

"Just the captain," the guard replied. Mal looked at Jayne.

"Don't worry, we won't leave without you."

"Sure about that? After all I said yesterday."

"Still need you to do some work for me."

Jayne smiled. "That's one order I'm looking forward." And then Mal was gone.

* * *

Zoe, Inara, Book, River and Wash sat in the dining area, taking a break from all the heavy lifting they had just done. After a quick breakfast and discussion they set to work putting their plan in motion. The first step was to take care of all the weapons on Serenity. The weapons crates were stowed away, some in the secret hiding place near the stairs, others in the crew bunks, some more in the service crawlspace under the fore hall, a few in some nooks and crannies in the engine room, and the rest in the arms lockers in the forward part of the bridge. All places with weapons were well locked or hidden. If anyone came on board this ship there was no way they would find any weapons loose. Following that, Zoe had given River a half a dose of what Simon normally gave her, deciding that she needed River calm, but not too out of touch with her abilities. Neither River nor Zoe had any idea if it would work but they had to try something.

"Almost time," Book said.

"Are you sure about this?" Inara asked Zoe.

"It's the best plan we can come up with. Time to prepare yourself."

"On the way," Inara replied as she rose and left toward her shuttle.

"River, you just follow my lead,' Zoe told the teen. "Whatever happens don't let on that you can read their minds."

"Read what?" she asked in surprise and Zoe wasn't sure if she was serious or joking.

"Minds!" said Wash, almost shouting like he was talking to someone who couldn't speak English. He then said it in Chinese for good measure.

"For a funny guy you sure don't know a joke when you hear one," said River and they all had a small chuckle at Wash's expense.

"Time to call Jackson," Zoe said as they made their way to the bridge.

* * *

The doors of the landing pad opened and the platform rose into view. Wash expertly guided Serenity onto the platform and turned off the VTOLS. The ship then slowly descended, the doors above closing as the ship went down. The platform reached the bottom and then all was silent as atmo was pumped into the large hanger.

"Getting atmo readings," Washes voice came from the speaker in the cargo bay.

"Roger. Get to your position," Zoe said into the intercom. River was standing beside her and Book was above on the catwalk with a semi-automatic rifle. "Where's Inara?" she asked impatiently.

"Coming," said the Companion as she descended the stairs. She was all done up in her Companion finery and looked like she was ready for business, with her hair coiffed and her face radiantly made up. "How do I look?"

"Fantastic," said Wash as he appeared on the catwalk above. Zoe just shot him one of her steely eyed looks. "Well, she does!" he added nervously and then looked to Book for support. "Shepherd?"

"Yes, indeed, Miss Serra is radiant as always."

"Wash, get your gun and try not to shoot yourself," Zoe commanded her husband. Wash reached his position opposite where Book was and picked up a machine gun and a fifteen shot automatic which he tucked into a hostler on his belt. Near him and Book were a few more ready for quick use.

Down below Zoe's sawed off Winchester was strapped to her hip as always and a pistol was at her other side. River had an automatic at her back, ready to pull out if there was trouble. Only Inara was unarmed but any man and probably a few women wouldn't have thought so, the Companion's weapons on full display for all to see.

Then there was a knock on Serenity's outer door. Zoe stepped forward and looked through the window. She laughed and then said, "Well, I'll be."

She opened the door and Mal stepped through, alone.

"Good to see you, sir," Zoe said.

"Good to be seen, Zoe."

She turned to River. "And you didn't see this coming?"

"Wanted it to be a surprise," River replied. "Also, I didn't know if he would be alone or not."

Inara was just stunned speechless. Mal looked at her all dressed up. "Guess someone knew I was coming and got all gussied up."

She wanted to kiss him and slap him at the same time. She smiled in her sarcastic way. "Well, captain, for your information this wasn't for you."

"Didn't think so," he replied unable to resist a verbal joust even at this time. "All ready to set up shop here?"

"Only if their money is good enough."

"Well, don't strain yourself. Jayne's already found out that whoring is illegal here."

"Can't you two ever stop?" Zoe said in exasperation. "Sir, where are the others?"

"Jayne was with me and they said Simon was taking care of the injured. Haven't seen him for awhile."

"They got Kaylee, too," Inara said, feeling so happy to see Mal and even enjoying their little sparring just now she forgot how serious things still were.

"I heard and was mighty unhappy to know you let her out there alone, Zoe."

"She volunteered, Mal," Inara said as Zoe was about to answer.

"We needed Zoe to be leader," said River and before Zoe could open her mouth Book added his support.

"Was only thing we could do, Mal," Book said as he and Wash came down the stairs. "We had no idea what was going on and Kaylee was only one qualified to open those airlocks or check this landing platform"

"They wouldn't let me go, sir," Zoe added, almost standing at attention before her captain.

Mal just nodded to Zoe. "Okay. You all did what was right. Was the best move. Now we got to talk on what's next."

"Which is what?" Wash asked. "Our standard run away or fight?"

"Neither," Mal began. "I made us a deal."


	8. Chapter 8

_Mal strikes a deal with Commander Jackson but its not a deal everyone likes as the crew finds themselves once again in a familiar situation._

**The Return – Part 8 **

Serenity was in an underground hanger just below the surface of the moon, where some of the survivors of Earth's once teeming masses remained. From all contact so far, Serenity's crew had learned that these people were low on supplies and in desperate need of their ship, so desperate that they had captured Mal, Jayne, Simon and Kaylee in a bid to gain control of Serenity. Prepared for a confrontation with Commander Jackson in order to negotiate for the release of her crewmates, Zoe was stunned and overjoyed to find Mal at Serenity's cargo bay door. Now he was talking about making a deal with these people.

"What kind of deal, sir?" Zoe asked the question on all their minds.

"Not the best I ever made but it will do for now," Mal began. "I suspect they are listening to every word we're saying so best keep any plans you all have to yourselves for now and listen for a spell."

No one said a word so Mal took it they understood what he said. "Good. These people are running out of food and what they grow here won't last them forever and it's just a basic fair of fruits and vegetables and some grains I'm guessing. This Jackson fellow sees himself as the new leader of humanity so wants to check on Earth for survivors and see if a return to Earth and a new beginning are possible. Barring that, they want to come with us to our neck of the verse."

"So it's possible to send us home? He wasn't lying about that?" Zoe asked.

"Don't know and can't tell. They got a scientist here who says he created this wormhole and can do it again. All I got is his word for that."

"And the fact that we are here," Book added.

"Then there's that," Mal said, guessing the Shepherd was no longer believing his God brought them here and it wasn't a point he felt the need to argue about, not now anyways.

"So here's the deal. Jackson already told you he wants some of his people and some of our people to take Serenity to Earth. In no way does he get control of Serenity. He was a bit not too pleased with that part till I reminded him that we really would like to go home and his bunch are the only ones that can help us and we really don't have anywhere to run to. To keep the faith some of us have to remain here. I need Wash and Kaylee on board and Simon too for any medical emergencies. He wanted you to be in charge Zoe with his head of security, some Chinese fellow, but I nixed that plan. I'm going or the boat ain't moving. We pull a piece out of the main engine and he'd never get the boat off this rock again. I know just the piece, too."

"And the rest of us?" Inara asked.

"We stay here on the base," River said and Mal nodded.

"With Jayne. Seems he made one too many threats against Jackson's life to trust him outside of a lockup. I did too for that matter. That's the deal."

"That's the deal?" Wash said with a grin. The others were also smiling.

"Why you all grinning for? It ain't that good a deal."

"Sorry, sir, it's just, that's exactly what I was hoping to negotiate with Jackson."

"Well, great minds think alike," Mal said. "Two things I also negotiated. His folks aren't allowed any weapons on board and I see that ours are stowed away already so let's make sure they stay that way. We provide any security for an Earth excursion if necessary. In exchange, I promised to let his chief scientist examine Serenity."

"Don't like the sound of that,' said Wash. "Could be he learns enough to fly it without me…ah, us."

"Not his intention. Wants to see if it's possible for Serenity to do the wormhole trip again."

"Why wouldn't it?" Book asked in surprise. "We've done it once."

"See, that's the part I don't get yet," Mal said. "And they weren't too forthcoming."

"I just got a bad notion, sir. What's to stop them from keeping us in this hanger and pulling the atmo and letting us rot here?"

"Oh, not to worry. I mentioned that and said if he pulled a stunt like that I'd fly one of the shuttles though his airlock or hanger control station and vent the whole base to the vacuum in here. Sides, take a month or more to starve us out and he doesn't seem like a man willing to wait that long. Any more questions?"

No one said anything. "Okay. You all got ten minutes to pack things you want for your stay. Could be one day, could be many. Take a change of clothes, toiletries, something to read. Don't take any food. You'll be on a sort of diet here but we need to keep what supplies we have on board ship. Never know what we'll find on Earth. Book, could you get some things for Jayne, too?"

"Of course, Mal."

"We aren't going to be…locked up, are we?" Inara asked a bit worried. She didn't want to be a hostage and had been hoping for some kind of apology from Mal for her and the others since they were becoming hostages but none was forthcoming. It was an order, not to be negotiated.

"No, except Jayne. I said his people would have the run of my ship, to some limitations, and that you should have the same here. He agreed but some areas are off limits. When you're all ready Wash and I'll go meet them and figure out where they want us to take the boat once we reach Earth. They said they want to load some supplies on board. Zoe, you take care of that."

"Yes, sir. Anything else we should know?" Zoe asked and Mal knew she was driving at something. River was staring at him and Mal felt more than a bit uncomfortable.

"The truth," River said to Mal.

"What you on about little sister?"

"Kaylee said they seemed to know an awful lot about us, and Jackson knew my name, knew the name of the ship, mentioned a chat he had with you," Zoe said.

Mal knew he had to tell them and knew River had already probed his mind. They get out of this he was gonna have to set up some rules for little sister and who and what she was allowed to read. Course, he had no real control over that anyways. "Well, truth is, the real truth, they shot Jayne and me full of something and well, we, we couldn't stop blabbing."

"A truth serum," Book said in an even tone.

"The truth? From Jayne Cobb?" Wash said in surprise.

"It was kinda horrific," Mal answered.

Inara was looking at him with wide open eyes. "You didn't tell them I was…a Companion, did you?"

"That wasn't the exact word used but they got the gist."

Inara flung a dirty look at Mal. "I'd like to be there next time they question you. I got a few I'd like to know the answer to myself."

"Funny. Jayne said same about you. He'd like to know the big mystery behind your being on this ship."

Inara was a bit embarrassed now. "What are you talking about? There's no mystery. I needed a place to do my business and Serenity was available. No mystery at all."

"Right," said Zoe. "Okay, if you two are done we need to get ready."

"I'll stand guard. And bring me my boots will you, Zoe? These damn slippers are too comfortable."

That's when they all noticed the white fuzzy slippers he was wearing and they had a good chuckle as they went off to get ready to leave.

Mal turned and locked the door again. He took Book's rifle and stood by the door, thinking on whether it was a good deal or not. It was, in reality, the only way he could get out of that locked room and get the freedom he needed to work out a solution to this mess. Jackson would have to die if it came to it cause he wasn't any use and was just in the way. Above all, Gregori Kovalev had to survive. Jayne was sure going to be pissed that he had to stay behind and be locked up.

Zoe came back to the cargo bay after a few minutes with his boots. She also had two small pieces of paper. After he got his boots on she handed the first piece to Mal. It said, "Do they know River can read minds?" Mal shook his head "no" and handed back the first paper and took the second. After a few moments of reading he looked at Zoe and gave her a thumbs up, and handed back the paper. It was Zoe's plan of attack once inside the base.

* * *

After breakfast was brought to them Kaylee and Simon were separated again as Simon was taken to the medical section to check on his patients. Again he didn't want to leave her and she convinced him he had to do it, to help these people. Reluctantly he left and then Kaylee was all alone again, but not for long. About an hour after Simon left the door opened and her Capt'n walked in. Kaylee leaped up and ran into his arms.

"Oh, Capt'n it's so shiny to see you again," she said as she tried to kept control of her emotions. Then she stood back. He was wearing his boots and had his pistol at his side.

"What's going on, Capt'n?"

"It's all right little Kaylee, everything's gonna be fine. Serenity is in the hanger bay and I talked to the crew. I made us a deal and we're getting out of here,' Mal answered.

"Simon and Jayne, too?"

"Simon, yes. Jayne, well, he's gonna have to stay a while. Made one too many comments in regard to harming Jackson for folks around here to trust him. Where's the Doc, anyway? They said he was in here, too."

"Off looking at the sick people. Doing his job."

Mal was looking around the room for the second bed and there was none.

"Simon spent the night…in here?"

Kaylee felt a little embarrassed, almost as if her daddy was questioning her choice in boyfriends. But then she remembered that Simon had said he loved her so none of that mattered. "He sure did. We even slept in the same bed."

"What? Kaylee, they got cameras and such in these rooms."

"Really? Well, I guess someone got themselves a good show last night. Just couldn't keep our hands off each other. And other parts, too."

Mal stood back and looked at her and could tell she was pulling his leg. "Good one, little Kaylee, good one."

"Would it have been so bad if we had done that?"

"Ain't a man to tell you who you can and can't sleep with but you know how I feel about ship board romances, despite the fact of Zoe and Wash being married."

"We ain't aboard ship here. And Capt'n…Simon and I…we love each other."

That threw Mal for a loop. On top of everything else he had to deal with he now had a love sick doctor and mechanic on his hands. "He said that?"

"Yup. And I said it back."

"Well, I'll be. Don't know what to say."

"Wish us happiness."

He smiled at her. "Course I wish you happiness, little Kaylee. Just hope you and Doc know what you're getting into that's all. Alliance is still after him and River."

"I know. My choice."

"Good enough. Now come on."

"But what happened? What's this deal you made?"

"Tell you the details on the way."

* * *

Simon and Doris the head nurse went from bed to bed, checking the scanners and making sure all five patients were doing well. Aside from repairing Captain Papusha's damage left lung, Simon had to fuse another patient's broken right forearm, and a third one had to have some pieces of metal removed from her intestines. Simon kept a careful watch on her because infection was a real danger, despite Doris' praise for the anti-biotics they had. Simon had gotten a chance to examine their medical supplies and the cupboard was almost bare, it being two years since they had any re-supply. As he finished looking over the scans and computer chart readings for the last patient, someone called his name.

"Doctor Tam?" It was a guard but he wasn't armed. Simon had noticed how there were distinct differences in the attitudes of these medical people and the few guards he had encountered and it was very likely that all the guards were military. They were all very formal, using clipped phrases, and all had the short hair and erect posture of soldiers.

"Yes?"

"You are needed in the hanger bay, sir."

After a short walk to the main corridor and then another short walk they arrived at a door marked "Hanger Bay Control Center". The guard opened the door from a keypad on the side, punching in a code and then the door slid open and Simon entered, shocked to see Mal, Kaylee, and Wash standing around a table with Jackson and Kovalev. At the sides were four armed guards. What was more shocking was that Mal was armed and no one was trying to take his gun away from him.

"Come in, Doctor Tam," Jackson said politely. Kaylee came to his side and took his hand.

"It's okay. Capt'n and the Commander reached an accord."

"Of sorts," Mal said. "Need you for the planning part, Doc."

But Simon wasn't listening to any of them. He was staring past them at a station where many controls were and a young woman sat and the big window that was just above her station. There in the hanger bay was Serenity. Zoe was standing on the ramp, also armed, as several of the Alliance people were loading large white plastic looking boxes on the ship. Off to one side were a few of the guards who were armed but no one was pointing any weapons and everyone seemed to be getting along fine.

"Doc?" Mal repeated.

"Where's River?" he said first, suspicious about what was happening.

"Still on Serenity,' Kaylee said and knew he wasn't going to like what came next. Simon was staring at Mal.

"What kind of 'accord' did you make?"

As Mal explained Kaylee could see Simon wasn't liking his plan one bit and he interrupted him when he got to the part where River had to stay on the base.

"Why does River have to stay here?"

Kaylee squeezed his hand. "It's gonna be fine, Simon. Nothing to worry about, right?"

This last comment she directed toward Jackson. "No problems. She won't be locked up and will have run of the base. Within limits of course."

Mal was getting a bit angry. "Doc, we got us a deal and it's the best were gonna get without blood being spilled. I know you don't want that to happen unless you got a need to get in some practice at taking bullets outta folks."

"Some plan, Mal. You just traded some hostages for more hostages."

"You will have some of our people on Serenity when you go to Earth, da?" Gregori said. "Including Tanya, my daughter. Her husband you are treating now and we are grateful for your help, Doctor."

"I need you on the ship and River stays here," Mal said in his "this is an order" tone, not liking this attitude of Simon's when they were in such a delicate situation. And it wasn't like he could tell him how crucial it was to have River on this base for their plans to work.

Wash had stood back and said nothing this whole time but now felt he should ease Simon's worries a bit. "Zoe, Book, and Inara are also staying. I don't like it either, but, we have few choices."

"It is apparent that we need each other," Jackson said. "But there is also much mistrust, for which I am mostly to blame. Captain Reynolds and I have reached an agreement which I expect him and his crew to honor. No harm will come to your crewmates, Doctor Tam, especially not your sister."

Simon just sighed and looked at Kaylee. She smiled at him "I'm going to be on Serenity with you, Wash and the Capt'n."

"And what about Jayne?"

Jackson answered this one. "Mr. Cobb will continue to enjoy our hospitality for the time being."

"He means Jayne ain't allowed out of his cage just yet," Mal said.

"I can't imagine why," Simon added sarcastically. "Seems I don't have much choice. Where are we going?"

"That's what we have to decide now," Wash said. "We need your medical opinion."

Simon looked at Gregori. "Do you have any data on the radiation?"

"No, our scanners cannot detect it at such a range. I want to see what data your ship has from its recent trip."

"We'll get to that soon," Mal said and Simon sensed Mal didn't want this scientist examining anything on Serenity.

"The northern hemisphere is out of the question," Simon said. "From what we saw and analyzed, the radiation is still too deadly."

"We have excellent anti-radiation protective suits," Gregori stated in his heavily accented English.

"Serenity is not equipped for decontamination of those suits when you come back on board," Simon said. "No, somewhere in the south would be better. Do you have a map?"

Gregori had his laptop on the table and hit buttons and turned it to Simon. Gregori pointed first to South America, then South Africa, and then southern Australia. "Any of these would do."

"Some nuclear weapons also went off at the major cities in the south so it would be too hot near them. Wait. What's this place here?" Simon asked, pointing south of Sydney, Australia.

"It's called Melbourne," Jackson answered. "It wasn't hit by any weapons. I spent a vacation there once. Lovely city. Perhaps it still is."

Wash looked the map. "Both Sydney and this city, Canberra, were hit by nuclear detonations, I think, from what I remember from our fly over."

"What information do you have on weather patterns, winds, ocean currents for this area?" Simon directed toward Gregori.

Again Gregori hit keys and streams of data came forth. They examined the data and argued back and forth over whether Melbourne would be free from radiation poisoning.

"Why do we have to land near a city?" Kaylee asked. "We can just as easily land in the open area far away. Bet there's less radiation there."

Jackson answered this one. "The cities would have storage areas and food warehouses and so on. If the survivors have not already taken everything, that is. But I suspect that there are such few survivors that we should be able to find the supplies we need and may even be able to return to live in one of these cities."

Gregori was staring at him but said nothing and once again Mal got the feeling the two men disagreed on their future plans. Mal didn't give a good gorramn what they did long as they could send Serenity home again.

"Guess we really won't know till we get there," said Wash.

"Suppose that's the best idea," Mal said. "We make for Melbourne, enter atmo, do a slow fly by and recon, than land and have a look about. Let's get to work."

* * *

The four spacesuits Serenity's crew had worn were now back on board the ship in the storage locker along with five more suits from the moon base. They were silver and white and very advanced compared to Serenity's suits. The boxes that had been loaded on Serenity were now in the cargo bay. As they came aboard Book had the Alliance people open each one and Book examined them for weapons but found none. Inside were radiation suits and many scientific instruments but no weapons. One box contained fresh apples, oranges, kiwis, and melons and also some dried ones. Another contained potatoes, carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes and a third had some barley, beans and hard biscuits. Book guessed that they had some kind of farming going on under the moon but again it didn't seem like very much of a diet. There were no milk products and no meat, fish, or eggs so protein was sorely lacking. It wasn't an unhealthy diet and in fact was probably a lot healthier than what Serenity's crew ate, but Book didn't know how much each person got per day and how much they had in storage and what the cycles for growing and harvesting were. From the looks of the people they weren't starving but then no one was overweight. Perhaps they also took mineral and vitamin supplements but such items wouldn't have lasted long here without any re-supply from Earth.

On the bridge Wash was dealing with Gregori Kovalev and his daughter. Again and again he asked Wash to explain what happened when the wormhole appeared. How long did it last? What happened when you tried to avoid it? How long was the journey? Gregori kept shaking his head and was talking in speed Russian to his daughter and they seemed to be arguing.

"But it's impossible, papa!" she said at one point in English. "Such things are theories. It's nonsense."

"What's going on?" Wash asked.

"Don't know, don't know," Gregori mumbled. "Something doesn't make sense. The data, in your computer, da? Please let me down load to mine." He indicated the laptop he held in his hands. "I must carefully check everything"

"Ah, sure, if you can. I mean this is a transport so we don't have much computer memory capacity for scientific stuff. Use computers mostly for nav sats and Cortex operations."

"Not a problem. I just need wireless interface…ah, it's okay. Downloading now."

"Cortex?" Tanya asked curiously and Wash explained what the Cortex was which greatly intrigued her by the looks of it. She was quite the beauty Wash thought and than wished he hadn't had that thought cause Zoe would surely make his life hell if she even had an inkling he was looking at another woman.

"Did Mal say this was okay?" Wash asked Gregori, a bit worried. "I mean, everything about Serenity is in here."

"Yes, I did," said Mal as he stepped on the bridge. "But only you fly the boat, Wash."

"Captain," Tanya began. "We are scientists, not power hungry madmen. We do not wish to take over your 'boat'. We must analyze the wormhole data in order to send you back to your homes. Also, the radiation data you gathered from Earth is critical to study to see if it is lessening or staying at the same intensity."

"Oh, I got it, not to worry," Mal said. "Just making sure you folks know that I own the ship and my crew runs it."

"You've made that quite clear, Captain." Tanya said.

"Okay. I'm finished,' said Gregori. "Let's go to engine room next." Mal told Wash to get the boat ready for take off and then escorted the two scientists to the engine room where he left them in Kaylee's hands.

Kaylee stood like a sentinel at her engines, making sure Gregori or Tanya didn't touched anything without her say so.

"It could work, could work," Kovalev said as he scratched his head while walking around looking at the engine. "This is a radon core accelerator engine, da? It is based on five hundred year old design from Earth."

"Yeah, she ain't that old but still she's a bit out-a-date," Kaylee said. "They got shinier ones on the newest ships."

"Shiny or dirty is not important as long as it runs," Tanya said.

"Ah, no, what I meant… 'shiny' is how we say…'great', 'wonderful', 'nice', and so on. It's kind of slang, I guess."

"Oh. That's 'shiny'," said Tanya and she and Kaylee had a little laugh.

"Laughing is for when all is well," Gregori said a little crossly. "Now is time for examining the engine."

"Papa, it will work. We will make it work and Kaylee will help us."

"I don't understand. Make what work?"

Gregori and Tanya looked at each other and then he nodded. "Tell her. We will need her to help us so she must know. During the trip you can make a plan."

Tanya began to explain. "Kaylee, our wormhole needs the power of a nuclear based engine to function. You see, it's the ship and its engine that make the wormhole."

Kaylee was just stunned for a moment but then was intensely curious about all this. "How?"

"Ah, it's so difficult to explain. It took papa and twenty other men thirty years to perfect the equipment and the theories."

"So many mistakes," Gregori said in disgust. "Now I am the only one left."

"But our ship came through your wormhole and we don't have any special equipment."

"No. But our ship did," Tanya said. "We were attempting to fly to your quadrant. The wormhole opens on both ends at the same time."

Gregori answered. "While we were studying it and examining the data…"

His voice trailed off and he just shook his head, so Tanya took up the story. "We had an accident. The engine couldn't take the strain and…exploded. We crashed on the moon."

"We didn't know how long the wormhole lasted. We lost touch with it when we crashed. And the time fluctuations can cause discrepancies. Our side may have lasted several minutes while your side could have lasted several…years. But Wash said it was very brief also."

"What he saw of it anyway. And now you want to do the same to Serenity? I don't know about that." Kaylee was beginning to feel very protective of her engine and didn't want anyone in here mucking about with it.

"That ship had been damaged previously. It was used to attack our base during the war."

"I saw the bodies in the surface base,' Kaylee said quietly.

"Yes, there was a fight," Tanya began. "The ship was captured yet was damaged. We couldn't move it to the hanger so it was repaired on the surface, very difficult in such conditions. Jackson and the engineers took almost two years to repair it. We had to hand make many of the parts. My father and Jackson argued endlessly about using the ship to go to Earth or go to the stars. The ship is similar to yours. We need fuel for take offs and landings to deal with gravity and a nuclear based engine for internal power and long range voyages. There was very little fuel left in the ship, enough for a single journey to Earth or for a few takeoffs and landings from the moon. Jackson reluctantly agreed to the test. If it worked, if we could get through and then come back, then the ship would land and we would prepare to leave. We knew there was one world in your quadrant that could support life, one world the travelers went to so long ago."

"Londinium we call it," Kaylee said. "It's the original point of settlement and where the Alliance government is."

"Londinium," Gregori said with almost longing. 'Captain Reynolds told me this. Is it beautiful?"

"Don't know. Ain't never been there."

They were surprised. "But, it's your main world, the center of power and I'm sure everything else," Tanya said.

Kaylee was a little bit unsure how to explain it so just told the truth as always. "I'm guessing Capt'n told you we have two main areas, the Core and the rim. Folks on this ship are from both parts. I'm from the rim, moon called Taos. Never had a chance to go to Londinium. Was on a Core planet once, called Ariel."

"But you were near Londinium when you encountered the wormhole, da?"

"Ah, no. We were far away. Few days from place called Greenleaf. That's about two weeks or more from Londinium."

"_Boshe moy_," Gregori mumbled and shook his head. "The calculations were wrong."

"But you will fix them Papa. Now you have Serenity's data and navigation fixes of the stars in that region, you can fix it."

"Da. It will be so,' he said and seemed to regain confidence from his daughter.

Then Mal's voice came through the comms. "Kaylee, time to get ready to leave. Taking off in ten minutes."

* * *

Five members of the Alliance stood in the cargo bay. Among them were Tanya Kovalev and the Chinese man who had captured Kaylee. He was Lieutenant Chin, Jackson's head of security and Mal had reservations about taking him on board but it was part of his deal with Jackson. The others were two men and a second woman, the two men specialists in radiation detection or some other scientific field Mal couldn't fathom. The two men were elderly, in their fifties or sixties. The woman was the blond Jayne had spotted the first day and she was an expert in environmental conditions on Earth and meteorology. Kaylee got one looked at Lt. Chin and took Mal aside and told him that was the one who captured her and Mal made a note to give Chin a good smack when all this was done.

In the hanger at the bottom of the ramp Book, Zoe, River and Inara stood, all with a few personal items in bags or in their hands. Many armed men were nearby and Mal was getting anxious to get away. He stood at the top, well armed, as Simon and Wash said goodbye.

"Be careful," River said to Simon.

"I should be worried more about you. Now, Zoe has your medication and the instructions on how much and when to give it to you."

"I'll be fine. Least you are with Kaylee."

"Ah, sorry?"

"Everyone knows, Simon. We're not stupid."

"Right. Guess no point hiding it."

"Hiding what?" said Kaylee as she came down the ramp and up behind him and put her arms around his waist. "You mean us?"

She said it real loud and Simon almost winced and turned a bit red as everyone looked at him with Kaylee holding onto him. He just smiled. "Okay, guess no secrets around here."

"Not many," said Book. "But some secrets are best kept that way. Doctor, we'll be keeping an eye on your sister so don't worry none."

Simon nodded, said thanks and gave River a hug and then he shook hands with the others and went up the ramp and took one of Mal's guns. Kaylee gave them all a hug, also. Inara held her tight.

"Be good, mei mei. And don't wear out the Doctor."

Kaylee just smiled. "Been so long for both of us take a while to wear us out. See you in a few days." Then she could see that Inara wasn't so shiny with all that was happening. "It'll be fine, you'll see. When has Capt'n not come up with a good plan?"

"Too often," Inara answered without a trace of sarcasm.

"Yeah. But it all works out in the end," Kaylee said as she squeezed Inara's hand one last time. Then she went up the ramp and stood next to Simon and Mal.

Zoe gave Wash a kiss and told him to keep his eyes on his job and not the women on board and he acted like he didn't understand what she was talking about but she just gave him one of those looks and he quickly agreed.

Mal took Zoe's weapons and then stood with them for a moment. "Hate leaving you all like this and you know I wouldn't if I had another way."

"Is this an apology?" Inara said.

"Closest you'll get to one. Going to be least two days till we're back so keep your heads and everything'll turn out all right. Zoe, you know what to do."

"Yes, sir. Not a worry."

Zoe nodded to the others and then the four turned and went off into the base, all of them looking back one last time before entering the base, Inara with what Mal thought was a look directed right through his heart.

Jackson and Gregori came out and approached Mal.

"Captain, I trust we don't need to make any threats. You're a businessman and a deal has been made. Keep your end of it and I'll keep mine."

"Fair enough," said Mal and Jackson put out his hand to shake but Mal just smirked and refused it. "You ain't made amends yet, Commander."

"Understood. You know, we are more alike than you want to admit, Captain. We both are responsible for others lives."

"Goes with the job," Mal said as he turned to the scientist. "Can you send us home?"

"I will work out the calculations while you are gone. It will take few days to prepare everything."

"Guess I'll take your word for that," said Mal. "Now if you excuse me gentlemen, got a ship that needs its captain. We'll keep in touch."

With that he turned and entered Serenity and the ramp came up.

* * *

Serenity cleared the moon's gravity and was on course after a short while. Mal had Kaylee and Wash set power for half speed and at that rate they would be close to the Earth in about two hours. While Wash manned the bridge Mal assembled everyone else in the dining area after the food the Alliance people had brought on board was brought up from the cargo bay. Kaylee made tea and coffee for everyone and the Alliance people thought they were in heaven, their supplies of tea and coffee running out many months ago and Jackson had refused to let them grow any since all space was needed for growing food.

"Let's get a few things straight," Mal began. "This here is a joint expedition but I'm in charge. I say do something you do it, no questions asked since this is my ship you all are passengers far as I'm concerned."

"I was told I would share command, Captain Reynolds," Chin stated firmly.

"Well, you were told wrong. And if you don't like it you can go back to the moon right now."

After a brief moment of stunned surprise one of the scientists laughed and then every one except Chin had a grin on. "Don't worry, Lieutenant," Mal said. "I ain't gonna throw you out the airlock. But I'm in charge and that's that. I got seven years experience running this ship in all kinds of situations and I got another seven years in the military before that. So unless anyone here has spent more time in space and in charge of something, then that's the end of that."

No one said a word so Mal went on to the next topic. "Kaylee's in charge of the engines and you all stay away from them less she gives the OK. Same goes for the bridge. No one is allowed on the bridge without mine or Wash's permission and don't touch anything up there without our say so. Same with the infirmary. That's Doctor Tam's area and if you all are feeling poorly you see him. You have free run of the cargo bay, passenger rooms and lounge, the dining area and kitchen here. Kaylee will do the cooking and I have to say she does a mighty fine job of it, too."

"Thanks, Capt'n. I think tonight some chicken stew might be in order. Sound good?"

"Real chicken?" asked one of the elderly scientists as he licked his lips.

"Yup," said Kaylee. "The real thing."

"Do you have any…alien food animals?" asked the other scientist.

Tanya Kovalev added her own question to this one. "No aliens were ever found, were there?"

"No," Simon answered. "Not one alien life form was found with the exception of some trees and plants. It was later determined that Londinium was a fairly new planet and sophisticated life forms hadn't had a chance to evolve yet. All farm animals are from Earth. Their DNA was encoded and used to form clones when the traveler's arrived at Londinium. The first herds of cows were all clones of the many DNA scripts taken of cows. Same for the pigs and the rest. I guess most of the plants were cultivated on the farming ships during the voyage and transplanted on arrival."

"You know so much of this story," the blond lady asked. "How?"

"They wrote their history," Simon replied. "I can lend you my book."

"We would like that very much," Tanya said.

Chin spoke up next. "Now, Captain, we are tired since our day was ending when we left. I think we should rest for a few hours."

"Simon can show you to the passenger rooms," Mal said.

"We'll eat before landing," Kaylee said as they left the dining room with Simon.

After they were gone Kaylee told Mal what had happened with Tanya and her father in the engine room.

"Knew something was fishy about this wormhole thing. They already screwed up their ship and now they want to do the same to Serenity? What do you think?"

"Won't know till I know what needs to be done," Kaylee replied.

"You and Tanya figure it out. Last thing we need is two busted spaceships and no way to fix them."

* * *

After entering the moon base and watching Serenity leave, Jackson addressed Zoe and the others. As Jackson talked River was staring at him and Gregori and Zoe knew she was trying to get inside their heads.

"You will be shown your room shortly," Jackson said in his clipped military way of speech. The door will not be locked but if you wish to move about the base you must have an escort."

"And we want privacy. Turn off the damn cameras and listening devices in our room," Zoe demanded.

"There are none. Those other rooms were for new arrivals to the moon, places where they could adjust and the cameras and listening equipment were necessary."

"Good enough," Zoe replied but she'd check the room out for sure when she got there.

Soon after Zoe and the others were shown to their room, which was down a corridor marked "Living Quarters" just off the main corridor. The room was big, had four beds, a table with chairs, a device that played music and vids, and an attached bathroom that included a shower. A note on the shower wall warned people to limit themselves to a shower every second day and for less than five minutes. Just like on Serenity, Inara thought. How is a lady supposed to stay clean?

"You will be staying here," the guard said. "The door will be unlocked but two guards will be outside. If you wish to move about we will call an escort."

"Thank you," said Book but he was already feeling a bit uncomfortable, looking at the lack of privacy in a room he'd have to share with three women. "Ah, there is another one of our crew here, Mr. Cobb. Perhaps I can bunk with him?"

"Suit yourself," said the guard. "But he isn't allowed out, you understand?"

"Perfectly," Book answered.

"Shepherd?" Inara looked at him with a smile. "We can trust you."

"Of course. But my pact with God does not allow me to enjoy a night in a room with three women, especially such lovely ladies as yourselves."

"You are a priest?" the guard asked in surprise. Book looked to Zoe and she nodded, almost unnoticeable.

"Yes, my son. Are you in need of a word with the Lord?"

He nodded. "Been a long time, Father."

"Shepherd, please call me Shepherd. It is the term we use for a man of God where I am from. Now, why don't we talk about this while you take me to see Mr. Cobb?"

After Book left, Inara and River sat on the beds while Zoe examined every inch of the room.

River was looking around, staring at the walls and ceiling of the room and seemed to be off in a dream world. "Anything?" Inara asked, feeling that River was trying to sense if they were being monitored.

"Yes," said River and she made a sign to be quiet. Then River went to the music/vid device, picked it up and smashed it on the floor with all her strength. It shattered into many pieces.

Zoe had been in the bathroom and was startled by the noise. "What the hell…?" And then she stopped as River bent over and picked up what looked like a tiny microphone of some sorts."

Zoe took it and without a word crushed it under her boot just as a guard opened the door.

"What happened?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Something got broke," Zoe said. "Tell Commander Jackson we don't care for the music provided."

The guard didn't know what she was talking about and after standing under Zoe's whithering glare for a few seconds he retreated out the door.

"Ain't no real soldiers here,' she mumbled as she and the others began searching for more devices.

After an hour they found no more and Zoe felt satisfied that all was well when River couldn't sense any more either. Then they sat at the table, all three of them close together and Zoe turned to River and whispered.

"Okay. Tell us all about Jackson."

* * *

Book's conversation with the soldier proved most fruitful. Indeed there were many people who needed spiritual guidance on this base and Book thought a prayer session was the best thing for all and asked if the soldier would organize it. He enthusiastically agreed and would call on Book when all was ready, perhaps in the morning. Then they arrived at Jayne's room.

Jayne had been stewing for hours wondering why Mal didn't return and was sure he was either dead or in trouble. Jayne was standing by the door ready to bash the head in of the first guard through it. If Book hadn't been aware this might happen and had been ready to duck he would have been on the receiving end of a Jayne Cobb haymaker.

"Shepherd? What the gorramn hell is going on?"

"Nice to see you again too, Jayne," Book began and he handed over the things he had brought for Jayne, a change of clothes and his toothbrush, and then told the tale of things so far, leaving out the parts about Zoe's plan, since Mal had told them this cell was bugged.

"Mal made a deal that didn't include me getting the rutting hell outta here?"

"Seems you have been perceived as a threat. I wonder why," Shepherd said.

"Beats me. Guess it's my winning personality."

"So we are to remain until Mal returns and hopefully this scientist can send us back to our home section of the galaxy."

"That scientist guy, he's a real prince. Like to put a bullet or two in him, also."

"Do that and we'll never get home."

Then came a knock and Book answered it and it was the guards with food. This time there was some cooked barley, pieces bread, fresh tomatoes, carrots, and celery, and water.

"I think you forgot the spoon or fork for the barley," Book said.

"No utensils allowed," the guard stated and then left and locked the door.

"I'm so hungry I'll eat with my hands," Jayne said as he reached for the tray.

"Wait!" Book said. "I just got an idea." He placed the tray on the table and got Jayne to stand over it. With both big men standing over the tray, they blocked any access ceiling cameras would have, or the Shepherd hoped so at least. Then he began using the barley kernels to spell out words and thus tell Jayne the plan.

* * *

After two hours and a nice meal, which all loved, and praised Kaylee for, it was time to orbit Earth. Kaylee had hoped to have some private time with Simon but the Capt'n kept both of them busy, Kaylee running engine checks and then preparing supper and Simon examining the radiation suits to ensue their safety. He protested that he was no expert and was sure they were fine but Mal insisted in that way he had. Kaylee had a chance to give Simon a brief kiss when she came down to the cargo bay to check on him before Mal called her up to the kitchen. It was almost like there was a conspiracy to prevent them from sleeping together.

Mal allowed all the scientists and Chin on the bridge as they approached Earth. They were in silent awe as they observed their home world up close for the first time in many years. Wash took the same route as before, climbing up toward the North Pole to avoid the debris field of smashed satellites and derelict spacecraft. One of the elderly scientists sat in the co-pilot's chair after Mal asked if anyone thought they could operate the sensors. He quickly caught on to how Serenity's sensors worked. After ten minutes he managed to establish a link between Serenity's and the moon base and data was fed to the moon's scientists.

"Radiation levels still too high," he observed.

The blond scientist, whose name was Christine they learned, gasped as they passed New York and they surmised it was her hometown.

"We were so stupid," she said, almost in tears, and Mal and the others felt bad about what had happened to these people.

And so on around the world they went, going from night to day, day to night, making radio contact with the moon when they were aligned, sending back the data also, until finally they were over Melbourne, Australia.

"Okay, everyone get strapped in," Mal said and then looked at the elderly scientist in the co-pilot's chair. "Sorry, didn't catch your name?"

"Dr. Fred Walker," he said. "Radiation specialist."

"Dr. Walker, you're at the sensors. Everyone else strap in the dining room. Simon take care of that. Kaylee, engine room and hang on tight."

"Roger, Capt'n," Kaylee said and they all left the bridge. After a few moments her voice came through to the bridge that all were strapped in and she was at her station. Mal sat in the third chair and looked at his pilot.

"Wash, take us to Earth."


	9. Chapter 9

_Mal's Earth expedition searches for supplies as Zoe and the others get a tour of the moon base._

**The Return – Part 9 **

Serenity came out of night into day as it glided over the Indian Ocean on its touchdown trajectory toward Melbourne, Australia. Wash had decided at the last moment to save as much fuel as possible by avoiding a direct landing and opted for a gradual atmo entry and a long glide path much as the first Earth spacecraft did. Once over the city he would turn on the VTOL's and maneuver the ship around until Mal decided on a suitable landing place. All Wash had for a navigation aid was the maps Gregori Kovalev had uploaded into Serenity, which Wash had on one of his view screens in front of him. There were no nav satellites, no markers or beacons of any kind. Wash was flying blinder than even the first astronauts had. And he was loving every moment of it.

"Having fun?" Mal asked as he glanced over at his grinning pilot.

"Getting to show off how good I am at my job." Wash replied. "Too bad none of my classmates from flight school are here."

"Now Wash I'm sure we've landed on one or two moons that were equally lacking in nav sats. In fact, I can think of one we just left."

"Yeah, but they were moons, small things with less atmo and less gravity. This here's a full sized planet. And it's Earth at that. When we get home I'll have bragging rights for years."

Dr. Fred Walker was listening to their conversation as he kept scanning for signs of life and observing the radiation data from the co-pilot's sensor boards. "Your quadrant must be very interesting. You talk about space travel as if it is an every day occurrence."

"For us it is, Doctor. Hell, Fred was it? Simon's only doctor on Serenity. How many space trips for you, Fred?"

He glanced back at him and Mal could see his nervousness. Beads of sweat lined his forehead and he had a slight high pitch to his voice. "Two. Counting this one. First one was to the moon, three years ago. I went there to observe solar flares and deep space radiation anomalies."

"Damn," Wash said. "I can't even remember how many I've made."

"Me, neither," said Mal. "And some of them ended in combat landings. Ain't nothing more likely to get your juices flowing in the morning than dashing from a spacecraft through incoming artillery fire."

"Hull temperature rising," Wash said as they began to enter the Earth's atmosphere. The west coast of Australia came into view and then a long glide and gradual slowing down, with a bit of sweating as the heat rose, brought them across the Great Australia Bight and over Melbourne about midday local time.

Mal grabbed the mic. "Attention ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Earth." Within minutes all were on the bridge except Kaylee, whose job was to stand by the engines. Wash began doing circles at around three thousand feet over Melbourne.

"Bridge, engine room. What do you see?" Kaylee's voice came through the intercom. Simon looked at Mal.

"May I?" he asked and Mal just handed over the mic, knowing Kaylee'd feel happier hearing Simon's voice than his.

"Kaylee?"

"Oh, hi Simon," she said excitedly, forgetting all intercom protocol. "What's the view like?"

"It's a sunny day, some clouds in the area but not many. There's a large bay surrounded by an urban center, a small island in a second smaller bay. Not a boat on the water, no vehicle traffic on land or in the sky. No signs of life anywhere, no smoke, nothing. Many skyscrapers, dense apartment blocks, few single dwellings. Buildings look intact, not much damage…wait a second, some are damaged, looks like there were some fires. Many vehicles are on the roads, not moving, looks like some crashed into each other. Oh, dear."

"What? What is it?" Kaylee impatiently asked. But Simon didn't answer right away as he was too busy taking in the sudden change in scenery.

"It's a spaceport," he said into the mic after a few more seconds. "And there's a lot of damage."

"No," Christine said "It's an airport. Only a few spaceports on Earth. Florida, California, Kazakhstan, French Guyana in South America, western China. There were more but they were closed years, decades ago. Not much point having spaceports if there's no where to send spacecraft to."

As she talked they got a close up look of Melbourne's airport. It was a mess, with buildings smashed, hangers burned down, with many destroyed and crashed aircraft and what could even be spacecraft on the ground.

"Are those…spacecraft?" Wash asked, pointing out something that didn't look like an airplane. "I mean, I heard that Earth used mostly airplanes in the past and like she said, ain't many places for a spaceship to go."

Tanya was looking over Wash's shoulder. "That's right. Yes, they appear to be low orbit vehicles, used to launch satellites or repair them. They could operate out of civilian or military airports with VTOL capability. Also we have suborbital passenger craft that used to fly all over at Mach 4, but they also operated out of airports."

"Well, they all looked smashed to pieces now. Looks like this place took a hell of a beating," Mal said. "Maybe civilian unrest, panic. Seen it before. They were trying to run away. Maybe some were in the sky when the EMP hit and were trying to land" He looked at Fred. "Radiation readings?"

"34 rads," the scientist replied. "Tolerable."

"Livable," added Simon and everyone felt their spirits rise as Simon said this.

"Wash, set us down at this airport," Mal ordered his pilot. "Right there, near that building says Terminal 1," Mal pointed to a large building with many shattered glass windows. Outside of it were many of what Simon thought looked like some version of a cargo truck and some civilian cars and buses. There were also many, many bodies now clear to see as they got lower.

"My God," said the other elderly scientist. Miller was his name and he had an English accent, which meant nothing to Serenity's crew cause they had no knowledge of the different regional accents of Earth. But he sounded like Badger, except more refined, and that also grated on Mal's nerves. Fly clear across the galaxy and to run into both Niska and Badger's cousins was too much. "What could have happened here?"

"Panic and madness," was all Mal could say and all were quiet as this sunk in.

"What's the plan, Captain?" Chin finally asked, breaking the silence, and seeming to understand his position as subordinate better than Mal had hoped. Maybe Mal wouldn't smack him after all. Maybe.

"We land, check the rad readings, and if it's safe we take one of the shuttles, and go for a ride, check out the city, find supplies and load up the boat. Better to land here, open space, see anyone coming."

"And look for fuel," Wash added. "Might be something the boat can run on. Right here at this airport be good place to start looking."

"We'll keep an eye out," Mal said.

Miller spoke up again and he had a slight arrogance to his demeanor which irked Mal even more. "I'd hate to be the harbinger of bad news, Captain, but any fuel supply would have been deep underground for safety reasons and would have used electrical pumps to fuel the craft that landed here. The EMP of the nuclear detonations would have rendered all such devices inoperable."

"That maybe so," Mal said, as Wash maneuvered Serenity for a landing. "But we got us a secret for such times."

"A secret? I'm quite positive that any fuel tanks and pumps cannot operate," Miller stated firmly. "What secret will overcome the laws of physics?"

"Bridge? Simon? What's going on?" Kaylee's voice came through the intercom.

"Her," said Mal as nodded toward the intercom speaker and then took the mic from Simon and told Kaylee to prepare for touchdown.

* * *

"That's the plan?" Jayne whispered and Book just nodded. It took almost fifteen minutes to explain it to Jayne by laying out kernels of barley on a plate, with lots of blank looks from him and re-thinking how to explain before Jayne got it. Least Shepherd hoped he had gotten it. At the end Jayne didn't look pleased. Book mouthed 'what's wrong".

Jayne pushed the kernels around with a piece of celery, his fingers being too big, but gave up in frustration when they kept sticking to it.

"Gorramn it!" and he just grabbed the plate, sat on his bed and started eating. After a moment he realized Shepherd was just staring at him so Jayne offered some food to the Shepherd.

Book shook his head. "No, breakfast was less than two hours ago."

"Suppertime here," Jayne said. Again Shepherd mouthed 'what's wrong"

Jayne growled in frustration and finally said to hell with it. "I want to do…something! Sitting in this room for almost a day now is driving me crazy!"

Book just sat on his bed and looked at him with reproach. "Patience, my son. There's nothing to do but wait."

"I hate waiting," the merc growled as he munched on the celery, looking at it in disgust. "Man needs meat."

"I think a few days without meat will do you some good, Jayne. Might lessen your aggressive tendencies."

"Guess if I'm here long enough even this critter food start looking like a feast."

"I'm sure we won't be here that long."

* * *

"There is a coldness to him," was the first thing River said to Zoe about Commander Samuel Jackson. "He is experienced in some war, in battle. He has killed before, with his own hand. Many, many, times. There is no guilt for what he has done."

"Maybe we're more alike than I thought," Zoe said.

"He doesn't trust you. He wonders if you are planning something. He also knows that I escaped from an Alliance facility but he doesn't know why and thinks there is something special about me."

"He ain't far off," Zoe whispered. "Guess Mal and Jayne really spilled their guts. Did he notice Inara and her womanly charms?"

"Yes, but I sensed a lack of interest, almost like a sadness, that his affection is for only one person. I think he lost someone special, maybe a wife or family. Maybe during the war, maybe before."

Inara spoke up. "I suspect many people here lost family on Earth during the war."

"Guess that part of the plan is out," Zoe said to her and Inara seemed relieved.

"I wasn't looking forward to bedding him anyway," the Companion replied, her relief more obvious by her tone.

"Did you sense any plans of his?" Zoe asked River next.

"He has only one plan. Get to Earth, restart civilization, be the leader, become a legend. He thinks it's his destiny. He does not want to come to our quadrant."

"Makes sense," said Inara. "In our quadrant he's nobody. Here he can be leader of an entire planet."

"If he can get there," said Zoe.

"He needs Serenity," Rive added. "And he plans to take it, no matter what happens. For now he is seems in agreement with the Captain, because there was a stalemate. But that won't last if he senses an advantage."

"That's why we need to take the upper hand first," said Zoe. "I think its time we asked for that escort and got a tour of this here base."

* * *

As Serenity got closer to the ground they saw the bodies more clearly and it wasn't a pretty sight. Many, many bodies were scattered all over the airport. There were a few gasps but they were mostly silent as the ship touched down.

The ramp came down and Mal, Chin, and the two radiation scientists, Drs. Walker and Miller, stepped out of the airlock, all wearing radiation suits. The suits were green and covered the entire body and head, had an internal breathing and cooling system. Mal was armed with his pistol and had an extra gun, a machine pistol, he could give Chin if trouble came but Mal didn't trust him with one at the moment. Walker and Miller carried one of the plastic boxes down the ramp, opened it and took out some scientific instruments. Mal and Chin stood guard as the scientists took their readings. After five minutes, Fred Walker declared it safe enough to go without the suits.

As Mal took off his suit he felt a slight chill in the air. "Nice and cool. Sun shining, lovely day. Well, except for the view."

Spread out before them was the carnage of what could only have been mass panic at Melbourne's airport. The decayed bodies were everywhere, mostly bones in clothing now, and some looked like they had been killed in accidents and others killed deliberately. A quick scan showed charred bodies near a crashed aircraft. Another glance showed many people lying in rows and nearby were many bullet casings. Someone in the military or police panicked and mowed down a bunch of civvies. A closer looked reveled that some men in Alliance police uniforms were also dead, probably overwhelmed by the crowds.

Mal could picture the scene of the war starting, seeing war and human misery close up himself a few times more than he liked. The bombs hit Sydney and Canberra, far away, but close enough for the EMP to knock everything out in Melbourne. Even places not near nuclear detonations would be fried if they had launch nukes into sub-orbits to hit those satellites and it looked like they had. One moment you're relaxing in your office or home or wherever and then suddenly the lights go out, your communication devices fail, your land vehicle stops if they have any electrical power and most do, and airplanes and sub-orbital spaceships fall out of the sky. You fanatically scan for news on the vid screens and wireless Cortex, Internet, whatever they called it, and there is nothing but static. You're lucky if you find your family amidst the chaos. People descend on the food stores and shopping districts, eager for supplies. There's no way to buy anything cause its all electronic money or merchants are asking for exorbitant amounts of hard currency. Someone fires that first shot and the first merchant or policeman would tried to restore order is dead and then its lawlessness, survival of the strongest.

Or maybe the panic didn't happen right away, maybe it was gradual, but the radiation would have been high here if the fallout spread this way and the deaths would have started within days, weeks, months at the most. This city was big enough to hold about ten million Mal estimated from their fly over. Some would have had ships without engines, sailing ships, and they could have escaped, maybe made it to an island, if they too weren't overwhelmed by crowds of the desperate. Others went to the airport, hoping to leave. Perhaps some government officials had transports that were heavily protected from EMP. If there was even one serviceable aircraft there would have been a rush to get aboard. And that's what looked like happened here. The city was likely full of the dead, those who stayed behind and those too old or infirmed or too young to leave. As the rad sickness spread those young enough and strong enough would have sought escape, away from the densely populated areas, hoping to find food and shelter in the countryside, away from the rads and the madness.

"How many people were on Earth when the war started?" he asked Chin.

Chin was so quiet for a second Mal thought he didn't hear him. "Almost 20 billion," he finally answered. "We don't know what happened to our families. That part has been the hardest for us."

Mal didn't say a word, the shock of maybe 20 billion dead stunning his normal indifference to high casualty figures, and after a brief moment went into the ship to get the others. 20 billion were not a casualty list. It was a planet wide catastrophe.

As Simon, Kaylee, Wash, Tanya, and Christine descended the ramp after Mal told them it was safe there was a stunned silence. They stood at the front of Serenity and took in the destruction and desolation. Mal decided that he had to get everyone busy.

"Tanya, you and your team set up the rest of your instruments. Wash stay on the bridge and scan for any thermal life signs nearby and be ready to take off in a second. And keep in touch with the moon base if you can and ask to speak to your wife to check on things."

"Roger that, Mal," said Wash as he headed back aboard, glad to be away from this scene of death.

"What'll we do?" Kaylee asked Mal as she stood next to Simon. She didn't look so good but Mal needed her to do the things she did best. Simon also looked a bit overwhelmed.

"You okay, little Kaylee? Doc?"

"Yeah, Capt'n, we'll be fine, just…it's too much."

"Just tell us what you want, Mal," Simon said, his voice with a slight tremble to it.

"You two and the lieutenant come with me. We're gonna look for that fuel for the boat."

"Just let me get my gear," Kaylee said quietly.

"I'll help you," Simon said and Mal also told him to get a gun for himself. Mal watched them leave and hoped they'd get over their shock soon. Simon was used to dead bodies but this was more than even Mal had ever seen away from a battlefield. Then again this was a battlefield of a sort. Kaylee might take bit more time and the things they were seeing would stay with them the rest of their lives. He looked at the four scientists and wondered how they were holding up and then remembered something about Tanya Kovalev.

"Tanya?"

"Yes, Captain?" she said as she looked up from her instruments.

"I seem to recall you said something about being an astro-engineer to one of my crew. That means you know something about spaceships?"

"Certainly does. I helped design some. Firefly's a good design by the way."

"Thanks and make sure you tell Kaylee that cause she loves this old boat. Need you come with us to check out these crashed vehicles for anything we could use and to check for fuel in them. Also, take this." Mal handed her another machine pistol. "I seem to also recall you handling one of these things the first day we met. Trust you not to use it on me or mine."

"Of course not, Captain," she replied, a bit aghast he suggested such a thing.

Chin looked put out that she was getting a gun and he wasn't. Mal could sense it from his look but said nothing and Chin was quiet for a few minutes but then just had to open this can of worms and Mal let him. "Captain, I have military training. She doesn't.'

"Yeah, but she hasn't kidnapped one of my crew members so you don't get a thing unless all hell is breaking loose. Got it?"

"I was just following orders."

"That's what they always say," said Kaylee as she and Simon returned with her tools and heard the last of the conversation. They were loaded down with tools and some large hydrogen cell batteries, plus Simon had a pistol belt strapped on with a 9mm in the holster.

"I would like to apologize for my actions, Miss Frye," Chin said and Kaylee was silent for a few seconds. She had already told Simon about him and Simon was mad about it but no one had been really hurt. Still, he did point a laser at her and gave her a fright

"Well...I don't know. Still bit sore. Need some time," she said quietly.

"Fair enough," Chin replied evenly.

"Help them with that gear, Lieutenant. That'll be a start to your penance," Mal said and Chin took some of the tools from Kaylee.

Mal handed one of Serenity's hand held communicators to Dr. Walker. "For keeping in touch. Any sign of trouble, yell for us and get on the boat and lock her tight if you can't wait for us."

He looked a bit worried. "Trouble? What kind of trouble are you expecting? Everyone is dead!"

"That's when there's always trouble,' Mal replied dead serious. "When you least expect it." He turned to his team. He'd rather have Zoe and Jayne with him and Kaylee but he'd have to make do with what people were available.

"Let's go check that terminal first see if we can find an airport map and the fuel supply." And he, Kaylee, Simon, Tanya, and Chin started off toward the terminal.

* * *

Jayne was doing pushups on the floor of the room while Shepherd sat on his bed and read his Bible he had taken when he left Serenity. He was searching for passages about hope and survival, about a new beginning, something to tell these people if a prayer service was arraigned.

Jayne stopped, out of breath, and sat on the floor. "Only a hundred. I'm getting weak already."

"Strength is not only a matter of muscles mass. There are many ways to defeat an enemy."

"For a preacher you sure know a lot of them ways."

"You're not going to start this again, are you? Not with ears in this room that don't belong to us."

"Hell, they already know we think you was police or military. If I gotta die on this rock I'd sure like to know the truth before I go."

Shepherd just sighed and closed his Bible. "Jayne, what I am now has nothing to do with what I was. That is a closed chapter in my life and shall remain so despite your curiosities. Suffice to say that I have acquired certain skills over the years that come in handy once in a while."

"Sure as hell right they do. How many you shoot on Niska's Skyplex? Musta been five or six anyway. Wash got a couple, Zoe and me got a bunch and I know Doc and Kaylee didn't hit squat. Then moon brain pulled that stunt. If what Kaylee saw was way it went down."

"You doubt Kaylee's word? You have known her much longer than I have and has she ever told a lie?"

Jayne thought a moment. "Nope. Can't say she has. But then again if it was a lie how am I supposed to know."

"Well, whatever happened, she explained it the way she saw it. I have no doubt about that."

"Wonder if moon brain can do the same here? Get us out of this mess?"

"I'd prefer a non-violent solution to our dilemma."

"Keep praying, Shepherd and it may just be so. But don't count on it."

* * *

At the moment, River, Inara and Zoe were walking past Jayne and Book's room. River could sense them and she nodded slightly to the door. There was a guard outside it but he seemed a little sleepy. Zoe got the drift of what River was doing and had already surmised that this was where the men were being kept by the presence of the guard.

They had asked their own guard to provide an escort for a tour of the base and he had called one of his superiors on a hand held communication device. After five minutes a young man with long blond hair approached and introduced himself as Jason Philips, an astronomer, and an American he proudly claimed, which didn't mean much to the three women. He seemed overly eager to escort them and began explaining about how they built the surface base first and then starting building the underground base as they walked around. An armed guard trailed behind them by a few feet as they walked and talked.

"This is our main airlock for reaching the surface," he said as they were shown the large airlock where Kaylee had entered the base. Off to the left was a door marked EVA PREP and Zoe had a feeling that's where they kept the spacesuits.

"Must have been difficult to build," Zoe observed.

"You bet. Of course, I don't know much about it, it was before my time."

A lot was before his time Zoe thought, he was so young, not much older than Kaylee, and River almost laughed out loud as she heard Zoe's thoughts in her own head.

Zoe gave her a sharp look as she saw that all knowing smile creep across her face. She didn't want the people here to know anymore about River than they already did. "Where do people eat and sleep?" she asked Jason, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, we have a few dining facilities but only one is in operation now. Some have shared living quarters, some have their own room now, since there are so few of us. Most people actually want to share, want the company."

"Are there any families, married people?" Inara asked.

"No children, a few married couples, like Tanya Kovalev and Captain Papusha, and a few couples, people dating I mean. Some people are saying we are a new Eden, that we must populate our base, have children. Commander Jackson disallows it due to our strict food supply." He seemed like he wanted to say more but the soldier was looking at him intensely so Zoe decide to change the subject.

"Where does the food come from?" Zoe asked quickly.

"Oh, yes, right this way," he lead them back to the main corridor and down another side one. The corridors were mostly empty as it was late on the base and most people were probably in bed. As they walked Zoe knew they were going beyond the layout they had observed on Serenity's x-ray sensors. As they got closer to the end of this tunnel they could smell something, a smell anyone raised on a farm would instantly recognize. As none of the ladies had been raise in such a place what they saw was quite surprising.

It was large cavern, about three times the size of the hanger bay and it was covered in trees and other plants, with massive numbers of xenon lights overhead providing artificial sunlight. Every kind of fruit tree was present and long rows of vegetables were growing in the soil and hydroponics systems. It was steamy inside as the women walked about, the humidity levels very high for a dry airless moon. Some people were moving about, tending to the plants. As Jason explained everything to them, River engaged him with numerous questions about soil and growth times and harvest periods and other mundane stuff. Zoe got a chance to take Inara aside as Jason was absorbed and seemingly infatuated with River.

"He's taken a fancy to our science advisor," Inara observed.

"Yeah, let's see where it goes."

After another ten minutes in the steaming cavern the lights started to go out one by one until there were only a few left, in the shape of a moon.

"Our own moon in the moon," Jason said with a smile. "We try to make it as natural a growth cycle as we can for the plants."

"Any animals?" Zoe asked.

"No," Jason answered. "They tried many years ago, using DNA scripts and then cloning them up here but they didn't take too well to the underground environment and consumed more vegetable matter than was worth while. We had freeze dried meat substitutes flown up on our quarterly supply missions. We had some fish in aquariums and they did well, but most of them have already been consumed. Also, our supplies of vitamins are almost exhausted. Things have been tight around here. There are more than 90 people and what you see growing here is expected to last us until the next harvest many months away. We have speeded up some of the growth cycles genetically but it still takes time and energy to grow our food. I sure hope they find something on Earth."

"I'm sure they will," said Inara as they walked down the corridor back to where they had come.

"What can you tell us about the attack on the base during the war?" Zoe asked after a few moments of silence.

He stopped and thought for a moment. "That was quite terrible. Some of our people died repelling the attack. Things got worse from that point on. It was all so…horrible. A lot died."

River was looking at him intensely. "It started here, didn't it?"

His eyes went wide. "How do you…?"

"Tour's over ladies," the guard suddenly said. "Doctor Philips please refrain from making anymore comments."

"Yes,' Philips said quickly "I must leave." And then he was gone in a hurry leaving Inara and Zoe intensely curious about what had just happened. But not River.

"The base is shutting down for the night," the guard said. "It's time to return to your quarters."

As they were heading back a young woman intercepted them. "Zoe Washburne?"

"Yes?"

"Your presence is requested in the communications center. Your…husband…he said he was, wishes to talk to you."

Zoe turned to Inara and River. "Get some rest. I'll be back soon."

Inara and River were back in their room a few minutes later, sat on a bed, and almost immediately Inara asked River what was going on. The teen shuddered and closed her eyes but then after a moment instantly opened them and stared at Inara and began speaking slowly.

"His mind was so open, so full of guilt, of what they had done. The war started here. The Russian spaceship was supposed to be a re-supply but it was a surprise attack. The battle on the surface was just the end. The spaceship landed, came down to the hanger and then there was a fight after they got inside. The killed many but ultimately lost, some tried to escape out the hanger, but the ship crashed on take off. The three bodies Kaylee saw on the surface, those men had a running gun battle through the base, then tried to escape out the main airlock and the surface base to their damaged ship, but were hunted down and killed. The emotions, the ghosts, are all here. So many died."

River was sitting with her knees up, arms wrapped around her legs now.

"Why would they start a war and attack this base?" Inara asked breathlessly. "It's a scientific research center. Isn't it?"

"Mostly. But they had something here, something the Russians want to capture or destroy."

"What?"

"A nuclear arsenal. Deep in the moon, a place we haven't seen. But the missiles are gone."

"Where are they?" Inara asked but she already knew the answer, the only possible answer, but had to hear it spoken aloud.

"Jackson fired them at Russia."

* * *

The journey to the terminal made Kaylee want to close her eyes to the horrible sights but she had to keep them opened so she wouldn't step on any bodies. She kept close to Simon as Mal, Chin and Tanya walked before them, everyone wary of what was in front and around them. They had to tread their way through a tangle of vehicles to get to the front doors and step over and around so many dead, men, woman, and children. Kaylee got a shock at one point as she saw a small bundle of bones in a soft cotton sky blue dress holding a little doll with blond hair. She gasped and Simon quickly put an arm around her and she buried her head in his shoulder.

Mal turned to look at them saw what Kaylee saw and realized he had just stepped over the dead child. There's was nothing to do but keep going and he motioned everyone silently forward. Sometimes you just had to close your heart to the dreadful things humans did to each other or you'd go mad.

At last they reached the main doors but they were shattered and more dead were inside. There were many vid screens, all blank, and the sunlight came through holes in the glass and walls. Dried blood was everywhere, on the floors, the counters, the walls. Open suitcases and scattered clothes and personal possessions lay about. Here and there lay a pistol in or near a dead hand or in a holster on a body and there were a few machine pistols lying about and Mal made sure Chin didn't pick anything up.

"Tourist Information," Chin said and they made their way to a counter with a sign over it. Scattered on the floor and still in racks were about a dozen paper maps of Melbourne and Australia.

"Open one of the city ones up," Mal ordered Chin and soon they were looking over the map on the counter. As they did so Simon saw a bookshop and instinctively walked over to it, Kaylee and Tanya behind him. There were many books in all kinds of languages but he was looking for something to give him information, about the city and what happened. And then he found it. A paper newspaper.

It was called the Australian Times and it was small as a book and had only three pages. The front headline was about fuel shortages, about a crop failure and famine in China, and about growing tensions between the Alliance and Russia. There was nothing about the war. The date was August 22, 2518.

"The day before the war started," Tanya said sadly. "The last day of a normal life. For all of us, on Earth and the moon."

Kaylee and Simon were just looking at each other. "It can't be correct," Kaylee said in awe.

Tanya sighed. "I was afraid of this."

"Of what?" Mal asked from behind them.

"The newspaper says August 22, 2518. She said it was the day before the war started," Kaylee said in obvious stunned disbelief.

"Can't be," Mal said as he grabbed the paper. "You said it was two years ago. August 2518? Hell, it's only June 2518 now. Right, Simon?"

Simon was looking at Tanya. "A wormhole is a bending of space and…time."

"Yes," she said. "And your ship's computers have placed the date that our wormhole hit you as June 15, 2518."

"That's before the war started," said Chin also a bit stunned by this news.

"What is the date today? Here, now," Simon asked urgently.

"July 10, 2520," Tanya stated.

"You mean we went…to the future?" Mal asked now getting what everyone else had already gotten.

"Maybe our ancestors made a mistake in calculating the time," Kaylee said, the anxiety in her voice clear to the others, Kaylee worrying on missing two of her daddy's birthdays and him maybe even thinking she was dead.

"Possible, but unlikely," Simon replied gently, knowing what Kaylee was fearing but also knowing she and the others needed to know the truth. "They used atomic clocks, which are very accurate and all planets kept a record of the proper time of Earth and the travelers, even if they did not have a 24 hour rotational period or an equal rotation time around a sun."

"It does not matter anyway,' said Tanya. "We will send you back to your home space as we promised."

"It ain't the where I'm worried about now,' said Mal as the full meaning of what had happened sunk in. "It's the when."

* * *

"It's livable, Simon and the scientists said," Wash said through the comms. Zoe was sitting in a chair in front of a microphone in the communications center. The screens Kaylee had seen on her visit were now off and only a young comms tech woman, Jackson and Kovalev were here.

"That's good news, baby. They said your data is coming in strong.'

Gregori leaned over. "Please have them report on weather patterns, Mr. Washburne."

"I'll pass the word," came the reply. "It's a beautiful day here."

"It would be nice to see blue skies again," said Jackson almost nostalgic.

"Wash, any food or fuel about?" Zoe asked, getting more creeped out by Jackson the more she knew of him. Now he's pinning for blue skies? The cold, heartless killer, as River described him?

"Mal and some others are looking now. Ah, one more thing. There's an awful lot of dead folk down here. It ain't pretty."

That sobered any joy they had when they had first heard from him about Melbourne being livable. "Roger that, baby."

Jackson stepped over to the mic now. "Mr. Washburne, Commander Jackson here. Please have the scientists make a report as soon as they are ready with their analysis. Also, ask Captain Reynolds to report in when he returns from his reconnaissance."

"Will do," Wash replied. "How're things up there, Zoe?"

Zoe felt the two men staring at her as she spoke. "Everything's fine. Had a bit of a tour. They got a big old cave full of trees and crops. Our accommodations are nice."

"Good to hear. Take care, baby. Will report again in an hour and then we might lose comms as moon and Earth won't be aligned much longer. Sereni…sorry…Earth, out."

"Bye, baby," Zoe said and then the young comms tech spoke into her headset mic. "Moonbase Armstrong, out."

"That is excellent news," Jackson stated and the young tech woman was smiling.

"Yes, sir. It would be good to go home," she said.

"Ain't much to go home to," Zoe replied. Gregori was nodding as she said this.

"And maybe Melbourne or southern Australia is the only livable place now," the Russian scientist began. "And for how long? Now it is winter there. Maybe the weather patterns will change as the Earth tilts and summer comes to the southern hemisphere."

Jackson looked at him sternly. "We died down there or we die up here. At least down there we'd have a better chance."

"Da, da, Sam. I know this is logical argument. But it will take decades for the radiation to dissipate entirely. And you and I do not have decades"

Zoe was watching the two men, and they felt her eyes on them and went quiet.

"Can't agree?" she said with a smile.

"Not to worry," Jackson said with a cold smile. "We will send you and your crew home if possible."

"Okay," Zoe said. "Thanks for letting me chat with my husband. Oh, and by the way, nice try with the microphone in the music player."

"One of my overzealous subordinates is responsible," Jackson replied evenly and without a hint of a lie. But Zoe was sure this man was used to lying and getting what he wanted. You don't become commander of a base without being so.

Zoe just grinned. "Good enough. I think myself and the other ladies are a bit on the hungry side by now."

"Yes, I will arraign for your dinner," Jackson stated and then said good bye to Zoe and a guard escorted her back to their room. River was lying prone on one of the beds, moaning and shuddering, with Inara at her side, when she entered.

"So many ghosts, so much pain," River moaned in a low voice

"What happened?" Zoe quickly asked Inara.

"She told me about Jason's thoughts and then started like this. It's been about ten minutes."

"Its okay," Zoe said as she sat and tried to comfort River "Time for your medicine."

"Yes, please," River said quietly and Inara and Zoe were surprised because she usually hated getting the shots. Zoe prepared the hypo and injected her and soon River was calm and sleeping.

Before Zoe could ask Inara what had happened a knock came to door and Zoe opened it. A young woman entered and placed a tray of food on the table. "I'm sorry it's not more,' she said and then was gone. On the tray were vegetables, barley and bread with some water bottles, basically what Jayne had eaten earlier. As the women ate Zoe told Inara what Wash had said and Inara filled Zoe in on what River sensed from Jason Phillips.

"That son-of a-bitch Jackson," she said and then yawned. "Oh, bit sleepy."

"Funny," said Inara. "So am I. We just woke up six or seven hours ago."

"Yeah. Guess too much stress. Need a coffee," Zoe said as she yawned again.

"I think I'll lie down," said Inara and she moved to bed, and then just flopped on it and stretched out. Soon Zoe was on another bed.

"Just for few minutes,' she said but Inara was already asleep and then Zoe was out like a light, too.

Five minutes passed and then the door opened. Four armed guards entered and then a woman in medical garb. She walked straight to River's bed and then checked her and nodded. Two men came in with a stretcher, put River on it, and then everyone left the room, carrying River Tam with them.


	10. Chapter 10

_River has a chat with Jackson and Mal and his gang have a close encounter with some Earthlings._

**The Return – Part 10 **

Serenity was parked amid the devastation of Melbourne, Australia's airport, the once city of millions now a ghost town with the only signs of life Serenity's crew and the accompanying scientists from Moonbase Armstrong. Three of the scientists were gathering data on radiation and meteorological patterns from several pieces of equipment that none on Serenity's crew had seen before or could easily understand. Wash came down the cargo bay ramp toward the three scientists and their instruments. They were standing and gazing at the sky and the sun, breathing deeply, not even looking at their equipment.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Wash said nonchalantly.

"Our first in more than two years," said Christine and Wash could feel the emotions from her and the others as they enjoyed this rare moment.

"Three years for me," Fred added.

"It's so clear and fresh," Miller said. "It's...unbelievable."

Wash just nodded. "Pollution I'm taking it. Know all about that. I grew up on a place with lots of pollution, factories, burning stuff all the time. It wasn't very pretty."

"And now it's…gone," Christine said in awe.

"Not entirely, I'm afraid," Miller commented as he looked toward the dead. "What are we going to do about them?"

"Nothing to do," Fred said somberly. "There's just too many. In time, if we return to stay, we will deal with it."

"Will you return to stay?" Wash asked. "Seems to be on your commander's mind from what we have heard and learned so far."

"It's our hope. Some of us," said Miller and then his face turned a touch angry. "Others wanted to follow that fool off to the stars."

"The wormhole works," said Christine defensively and the good mood of a moment ago was disappearing. "And without that 'fool' Serenity would have never come here and we wouldn't be able to return to Earth."

"But the cost. Six more dead," Fred said sadly.

They were silent for a moment. "Commander Jackson wants you to make a report before we lose radio contact," Wash told them.

"Yes, I'll do it when we are ready," Fred said. "Mr. Washburne…"

"Wash…just call me Wash."

"Wash, how long will be out of radio contact with the moon when the Earth rotations?"

"Don't know exactly. Could be 8 to 10 hours so you'd best get that report off soon, cause it'll be a while before we make contact again."

* * *

On Moonbase Armstrong all was quiet for the night as their day came to an end. Only a few people were awake, manning critical stations such as communications, environmental controls, power relays, and the guards on Serenity crew's doors. Jayne had dropped off to sleep after once again trying to persuade Shepherd book to divulge his secrets and once again Book deflected such attempts. Then they decided to find those microphones and cameras and had examined every inch of the room but came up empty. An equally intense examination of the door and bathroom revealed no way to get out. Jayne almost punched a wall in frustration but Book stopped him and persuaded Jayne that the best thing to do was get some rest and wait until morning. Inara and Zoe meanwhile were still sleeping soundly and nothing and nobody disturbed them through the night.

The same could not be said for River Tam. She dreamed she was being carried down a long corridor back at the academy on Athenian Island on Osiris where she had been a prisoner for three years until Simon had rescued her. She couldn't move, was powerless to stop these people who carried her. They wore the blue uniforms of the Alliance and the greenish medical garb of the scientists and doctors. She was carried into a room and placed on a table that was raised till she was at a 45 degree angle, her arms and legs strapped to the soft, padded table. Devices were attached to her head and arms and several people were examining scanners on walls. Then River suddenly realized it wasn't a dream, she was sleeping in a room on a moon base near Earth, and the Alliance was in control. Her eyes were partially opened and all that she saw was happening, now. River opened her mouth and screamed.

"She's awake!" said a female voice. "Those drugs were supposed to last eight hours!"

"Maybe she didn't eat the food!" said a male, his face covered in a doctor's mask. "Get me the hypo!"

"Blood! So much blood! You people are drowning in it!" River shouted. "He killed them all! He fired the missiles!"

"No, don't put her to sleep. Give her the serum," said another voice, calmly, and River knew it was Jackson. She looked around but he wasn't in the room but then she heard his voice again. "We will do this now."

River felt a pinch at her left arm and then a warm flood of peacefulness entered her bloodstream and heart and brain.

"River, can you hear me?" Jackson asked.

"Hear you all the time, your voice is everywhere, outside, inside, in the walls and the ceiling. Microphones, little bugs, gathering people's thoughts and hopes and dreams. Control, power. Some killed themselves, couldn't stand it anymore. No hope, no hope."

"River, tell me what plans your crew has made?" Jackson asked, seeming to ignore her ramblings to get to the questions he had.

"Crew, I don't have a crew, no crew. Mal's captain, I'm just a girl, science advisor he said. Made me feel good. But they hate me, they all hate me. Want to kill me or sell me."

"Who wants to kill you or sell you?"

"All of them."

"Even your brother Simon?"

"No, no, he's such a good man. Simon loves Kaylee, Kaylee loves Simon. Does anyone love River?" she said in a giddy voice. "Maybe Jayne. He's such a lout, too old, but so many muscles. Shepherd needs a haircut. Mal, too. I like Wash's hair. Inara has such lovely hair. Zoe has nice lips, but don't tell her I said that. Anything else?"

"What is Zoe going to do?"

"Nothing, wants to go home, have babies, loves Wash so much. We need to go home. We don't belong here, it's not supposed to happen this way."

"How is it supposed to happen?"

"Not this way."

"Why were you held in a government facility?"

"Rutting pigs wanted my brain. Picked it apart, fed me lies, trained me to be something I'm not. I'm just a girl."

"What did they train you to be, River?"

"Her synaptic signs are going off the charts!" the female med tech shouted.

River didn't answer for a few seconds. Then her voice was calm and emotionless. "Want me to show you?"

There was a tense few seconds as all the med tech people stepped back, thinking River was about to do something. But then she just relaxed and laughed and her brain scans returned to normal.

"Perhaps another time," Jackson said calmly. "You had a conversation with Dr. Philips. He said you knew the war started on this moon base. How did you know that? He didn't tell you, did he?"

"Yes, he did, I remember his voice, I heard it, telling me how you fired the missiles while the attack was under way."

There was a long silence. "River, can you understand people's…thoughts?"

"If I could I'd know the next question, wouldn't I?"

"Medulla cortex functions rising. She's resisting the serum," said the female med tech.

"River, you want to tell the truth, don't you?"

"What is truth? What you tell these people on this base so they won't bash in your skull and send you out the airlock? What those fools in our quadrant and yours tell people so they follow them blindly? There is no truth, only what you perceive to be truth. You want some truth? I have some truth for you. Simon loves Kaylee, Kaylee loves Simon, Shepherd needs a haircut, Mal too, Zoe's got…"

"Enough!" Jackson said impatiently, his irritation obvious in his tone. "River, you don't want anything bad to happen to Simon and the others, do you? So tell me the truth. You know you want to."

"Nothing will happen to them. You think you are a tough man who has had to make tough decisions? Malcolm Reynolds is, too. Except he cares about us, loves us, all of us, in fact, but would never admit it. He will die before letting you harm or kill one of us. Would you do the same for your people?"

"There is nothing to be gained by this," Jackson said wearily. "Put her to sleep and monitor all functions. We'll get to the bottom of what she is one way or another."

River was injected with something else and after a few minutes was peacefully asleep.

* * *

After more searching Mal found a dusty layout of the airport printed on some engineering plans in the airport's environmental service department. The shock at having discovered they were two years in the future hadn't lessened but they had things to do and Mal got them back to work. After the discovery of the engineering plans they quickly found out where the fuel supply for the airport was and started back toward Serenity.

"My father is making the calculations right now," Tanya said, walking beside a very distraught Kaylee and a deeply concerned Simon. "He has all the data, he has all the navigation information from Serenity. He will make it work."

"Just like last time?" Chin said as he and Mal walked behind them. Tanya turned on him with a vicious look.

"That was not his fault. That ship could not take the strain."

"And you think my ship can?" Mal said and Tanya looked to Kaylee.

"I had to tell him, he'd find out eventually," Kaylee said a little guiltily.

"No, Kaylee, its fine, he must know so why not now," Tanya told her and then turned to Mal. "My father wanted to explain it all in person, Captain, when he had finished his calculations. Serenity will be able to take it."

Simon was catching on now. "You mean that ship that crashed, that made the wormhole?"

"Seems like it,' Kaylee told him.

"If there's any doubt," Mal said. "I think I'd rather stay here than be blown into bitsy pieces on the other side of a wormhole."

"It will work," Tanya said and then they were back at the ship.

The scientists had just finished making their report to the moon base and Wash told Mal what Zoe had said and announced that they would be out of touch for many more hours to come.

"How do things look?" Mal asked the scientists.

"The radiation levels are stable, so far," Miler stated. "But we won't know more unless we have some long term data."

"The same for the meteorological readings," Christine began. "All indications are that this is a normal winter day for southern Australia and all the data is historically within norms. But like Dr. Miller said, we need to do some long term studies."

Fred then offered his opinion. "There is no precedent for what has happened here. The radiation from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs did not last long and only the people immediately exposed to it and its fallout became ill. However, those were two low yield nuclear detonations in small cities."

"So the gist is we can stay for now but you don't know how long and won't know till we've been here a while," Mal said, trying to put into plain words what they had said.

"Essentially," Miller said. "But it's more complicated…"

"Don't care for complicated," Mal cut him off. "Let's just load up the boat and get that fuel and look for some food and any survivors. That's why we came here mostly for."

No one disagreed and soon they were on Serenity again, leaving their instruments on the ground to keep monitoring the conditions. Serenity lifted off and went a short distance across the airport to the fueling station. As they went Mal, Kaylee and Simon stood on the bridge and filled Wash in on the notion that they might be two years in the future. He took it in his usual way, making a joke about how that was two wedding anniversary gifts he didn't have to buy Zoe and also said that he was now two years older but didn't even feel it. Kaylee grinned at this last one and then remembered how everyone they knew thought they might be dead and then had a sudden thought.

"If its two years in the future here is it the same back home?"

No one answered her at first, all struggling to put into perspective these time fluctuations. Then Simon spoke up. "Time is a relative notion, from the observation of the person. The wormhole was create in July 2520 here and appeared in June 2518 on our side of the galaxy. There are two possibilities. As Kaylee suggested, perhaps the count of time is different in both quadrants as we are really in the same actually time, just that it is perceived differently. Like a man in one house whose clock says 12 o'clock and a man in another whose clock says 2 o'clock at the same time. The second possibility is a time distortion or time travel if you will. Did the wormhole go back in time for two years? Did we travel ahead for two years during the wormhole trip? This…we can't explain or perhaps ever know."

"One thing I know," Wash said. "Serenity's system clocks still think its June 2518."

"Don't touch them," Mal ordered. "It's the only reference we have for getting back to the right time."

As he said this, Wash maneuvered the ship in for a landing near the fuel area. It was easy to see from the damage nearby. There were several fuel trucks, some intact, others destroyed by fire and perhaps explosions. They landed and after a quick search they found the fuel pumping stations and Tanya found the correct fuel tank's above ground access point.

"Ah, this tank should have the liquid rocket fuel for sub-orbital craft. It has a different mixture than the commercial jet fuel, for use in low oxygen, no oxygen environment."

Kaylee used an acetylene torch to cut off the locks on the access point to the underground tank Tanya indicated and then a long rope and a small container on the end were used to retrieve a sample.

"It's what we need," Tanya announced as she and Wash inspected the sample.

"Sure looks like it," Wash said and Kaylee agreed with them.

"Wasting our time," Miller muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Mal to hear.

"You'll be eating those words," he said with a glare. "Kaylee?"

"Not a prob Capt'n. Here's the main pumping station. Built solid, not damaged or worn out by the looks. Just needs some power. We should be able to run a cable from Serenity's main engine and rig it up. Give me thirty minutes and we'll be ready to go."

Thirty minutes later fuel was pumping into Serenity's tanks. Miller just stood there with his mouth open staring at Kaylee as Mal said to him "told you so".

"You must have some wonderful engineering schools in your quadrant," Miller said to Kaylee.

"Don't know," she replied as she wiped grease and dirt from her hands. "Ain't never been to one."

Simon was grinning, proud of what Kaylee had done. "Think you deserve a reward."

"I'm still waiting for the one you promised me already," she said with a sexy look and she put an arm around his waist.

"You two mind your jobs and you'll get that chance," Mal said has he walked by. "But now we got to do a recon of the city. Wash and Kaylee stay with the boat, get her fueled up and stay by the comms. Doc, Tanya, and Chin, with me in shuttle two. Everyone else, just take it easy and get some rest."

Everyone moved to follow Mal's orders, Kaylee and Simon having a brief moment to say goodbye and give a quick kiss at the shuttle doors after he loaded some medical supplies on board. Mal was the last aboard as Kaylee stood by to close the door.

"Capt'n, don't get in no trouble."

"I'll look after him, so don't fret none, little Kaylee."

"I know. Just come back if any folks are about. I got a feeling any survivors be mighty unhappy to see anyone in an Alliance uniform."

"Maybe not have a kind word for us either since we're with these Alliance folk, helping them out and all."

"Yeah, but we didn't cause all this mess."

"First sign of trouble and you know me, I'll be running right back to the boat, with bullets flying behind me."

"And not hitting anyone. And don't you kill no one if you don't have to. Ain't that many of them left."

"Your heart is always in the right place, you know that?"

"Someone's has to be"

"Be back soon. Be nice if food was on the table when we do."

"Think I can handle that."

He gave her a reassuring grin and then stepped aboard and Kaylee made sure the door was sealed tight. She then went outside to watch them take off. Shuttle two lifted off its cradle on the port side of Serenity and headed toward the city.

* * *

Mal picked out the closest shopping center to the airport after examining the map of the city before leaving Serenity. Up ahead from the shuttle's cockpit windows they could see a large four story concrete and glass building in the midst of apartment blocks. On the building was in bold multi-colored lettering "Gateway Shopping Centre." A large parking lot in front was jammed with many vehicles and hundreds of bodies. Mal scanned the area until he found a place in which to land the shuttle. Once more a grim passage was made through the mess of crashed vehicles, and dead bodies. Everyone carried a sack or two to load anything useful they found and flashlights for the dark areas. Mal, Simon, and Tanya also carried the weapons from their previous excursion.

Inside they found a large atrium that ran down the center of the building and extended to the roof above, with a set of now still escalators in front of them and a bank of equally useless elevators off to one side. Many shops and signs were on display as were quite a few blank vid screens. It was dark and dusty, with some sunlight filtering through the overhead skylights and the front of the building. Dead bodies were here and there, merchandise was scattered about and there was broken glass in many places and several shop windows were destroyed on this ground level. Chaos must have reigned here, and it looked like looting was a part of the final days of any semblance of a civilized society on Earth. Simon wondered if the rest of the areas that were directly attacked had an equally sad ending.

After a quick examination Tanya found a store map near a dry fountain.

"Mostly clothing, electronics, shoes, household goods, bookshops, some restaurants, banks, two drugstores, and a supermarket."

"Banks?" said Mal a bit too enthusiastic.

"Ah, Captain," Simon began. "Money doesn't have very much use here about. It's food and medical supplies we need"

"Suppose so. Then again, might be worth taking a look. Folks hide lots of shiny stuff in banks."

"What are you guys anyway?" asked Chin. "Criminals or something?"

"Nope," said Mal. "Criminals are folks doing time on penal colonies. We're just trying to make an honest living."

"They are criminals," said Tanya, not too surprised and Mal figured her father must have told her a thing or two from his and Jayne's interrogation.

"People have been saying that," said Chin.

"Have they?" Mal said with a touch of a smirk. "Well, guess you two about to join the ranks of us brigands once we loot these shops."

"It's not the same thing,' Chin replied a bit defiantly. "We're doing this to survive."

"Yes it is the same thing but you folks wouldn't know nothing about real survival," Mal replied and Simon sensed a fight coming, knowing Mal had hit people, including himself, for much less.

"Not that it matters much here," said Simon with a sheepish grin trying to get their minds back on the job. "I think I'd like to check out the drugstores, Mal, see if anything useful is still here."

"Sounds like a plan, Doc.," Mal said, not taking his eyes off Chin, and his glare got to him and the lieutenant went off ahead of them as Tanya gave out directions.

The first drugstore was in disarray and many common items were gone, bandages, aspirin, and the like. A locked backroom revealed a nice haul of all kinds of medicines and Simon quickly examined the bottles and vials and started filling one of the sacks they carried. The second drugstore had an equal haul and Simon began to realize that if there were many survivors they wouldn't have left such supplies behind.

"I don't think we're going to find anyone here," Simon said as they moved toward a supermarket.

The supermarket was dark so they had to use flashlights to see and the first things their lights revealed made them all a little happier. Although much had been taken and most of the rest was scattered about, there were still many canned, bottled, and packaged goods in a variety of kinds, both simple and luxurious goods. Further examination revealed that all the meat was gone or spoiled, just the bones remaining and a foul but not overpowering stench emitted from the now warm meat lockers. Likewise, there were no edible bread or pastry products, no vegetables or fruit, just the rotting remains that had long since been reduced to almost nothing. But there were many edible products in cans and bottles and packages and Mal and Simon could see the hunger in Chin and Tanya's eyes as they saw luxuries they hadn't eaten in a long time.

"Let's go shopping," Mal said and they all started taking what they wanted.

Tanya began gathering pasta and jars of tomato sauces and tins of coffee and boxes of tea bags as Chin got busy filling a sack with canned meat and fish, while Mal and Simon found their way to the alcohol aisle where many bottles were still on the shelves and the floor. Mal opened a bottle of beer and as he popped the top there was a loud fizz and the bottle instantly became cold.

"Nice touch," he said and took a long swig. Simon said what the hell and took one himself. It was a green labeled brown bottle called Victoria Bitter and the cold beverage felt good going down his throat.

"Surprised any of this stuff is still here," Mal commented.

"The radiation and chaos would have swiftly killed a lot of people," Simon said between swigs of beer. "And as people started getting sick I'm guessing a lot of people took what they had at home and made their way to the countryside, only stopping at shops on their route. Cities with a rising death toll will breed all kinds of disease. There was no one to collect bodies, no electricity, no running water, nothing. Pet animal would have been reduced to eating the corpses once their masters died or left. So leaving as fast as you could was the best option. There are probably a few people still here, living day to day. In the countryside we might find some sort of organization. But I still think there will be lawlessness here for a long time to come."

"Good thing we got lots of experience with lawlessness. Nice being in a shop where I don't gotta worry about how much I'm spending or having to pull a gun to get what I need. Let's get a bunch these bottles back to the boat," Mal told Simon. "This stuff will go a long way toward making life more bearable on Serenity and the moon."

He and Simon started loading bottles of vodka, sake, whiskey, rum, and gin into a sack.

"We should get some wine for the ladies," Simon suggested. "Kaylee's inter-engine fermentation system doesn't exactly produce the best quality vintages."

"Ain't that the truth. Could use that stuff for all kinds of mechanical and medicinal purposes," Mal said and Simon quickly agreed.

"So, you and Kaylee?" Mal said after a few more minutes, bringing up the topic now that he had a moment alone with Simon.

"Yeah. Surprised me, too," Simon started. "I mean, I was just trying to protect River, get her away from the Alliance. I never thought I'd find someone…special…for myself."

"Special she is and don't you ever forget it," Mal said almost like a father or brother.

"I won't," the Doctor replied. "I think I'd rather die than be away from her."

"Guess it is love," Mal commented as he grabbed some more of the self-cooling beer bottles, knowing Jayne would be mighty sore if they didn't have one for him when they got back.

"So, you and Inara?" Simon said suddenly, wondering how far Mal would go with this topic and instantly found out.

"That subject ain't up for discussion," Mal firmly stated and Simon got the feeling it never would be.

"I hope all is well on the moon," Simon said as he closed his sack and tied it tight with its draw string.

"I got a feeling that they won't be there long," Mal said just as he finished his beer and set the bottle on a shelf. "Once they get word that there's food and a supply of fuel we'll be able to make a few runs to the moon and back, bring everyone down, help them set up a life here."

Tanya overheard them speaking as she came up the aisle with her sack full. "Yes, I think I would like to stay here and bring my father, also. He would be invaluable for us. I just have to convince him to stay behind when you go back to your home quadrant."

Mal decided he now had to broach a subject that he had planned on speaking on later. "Tanya, I want you to understand that no one is going on Serenity when we return to our quadrant except me and my crew."

She was stunned for a moment. "But why?"

"You got ninety some people on that base and some of them I just don't like and others want to stay here. But the main reason is that you all are Alliance and in our area the Alliance is no friend of mine or my crew. I take your people there and I'll have to drop you off somewhere remote cause I sure ain't pulling into a Core planet Alliance government center and say, hey, look who we found. You got no ID, no records, no cash, nothing. No one will believe your story, they certainly won't believe me, and I and mine ain't gonna stick around and tell the Alliance about our journey to Earth. They'd throw us all in the bug house for sure. And finally, if this wormhole thing works, I sure as hell don't want the Alliance getting their hands on the equipment and your father. They got a way about them of using what best suits them and they don't have a care for how they get it."

Tanya just took all this in and then she nodded. "What you say makes sense in a way. I was afraid of this. My father will be disappointed. He so wanted to go to the stars."

"It's not like we don't care," Simon added. "We are very grateful for your help. But the Captain is right. It's just too…complicated. And all he said about the Alliance is sadly true."

"We are scientists. The Alliance offered the best hope for funding and research for my father's work. We are not the same as those people in your quadrant."

"Didn't say you were," Mal said in a kind of apology.

Chin appeared then with two more sacks full of cans that he struggled to carry. "I think we got all we can handle."

"Let's head back to the boat," Mal ordered.

* * *

The shuttle's return was greeted with gladness by those left behind and more joy arose with the news that there were supplies available. After unloading everything they sat down to a late afternoon lunch Kaylee had prepared. After the meal Serenity went on a test flight to check the new fuel and Kaylee and Wash gave thumbs up for its quality. As the sun was setting Mal ordered them back to the airport where they landed near the scientific instruments and began to shut down the boat for a rest after the scientists spent some time checking the readings of the instruments. It would be a few more hours before they could contact the moon so Mal decided to open a bottle or two and everyone had a few drinks and relaxed. Mal typically stayed sober despite having a few drinks and his mind was on what to do next and he hoped like hell Zoe had control of the situation on the moon.

After one drink Simon excused himself to sort out the medicine they had recovered and as he left the dining table he gave Kaylee a lingering glance. After a few more moments she also made some excuse about checking the engine. Mal and Wash just looked at each other and both knew what was up.

"I know you hate shipboard romances but give the kids a chance," Wash said to Mal, a little bravely and probably wouldn't have said it like that if he hadn't just had three cups of sake.

"Already talked to Simon and Kaylee about that, so let it go," Mal told his pilot.

"They are in love?" Tanya ventured.

"Hell, yeah," said Wash and he began the story of the Kaylee/Simon rocky road to where they were now, which brought more than a few chuckles from the moon base people.

"Yes, the path to true love can be a long road,' Tanya reminisced. "Me and my Joseph, we hated each other at first. He was a test pilot for a ship I designed and he had nothing good to say about it. After ten months and many monumental fights we were married."

She suddenly stopped talking and grew very sad. "He will be fine," Christine said. "Dr. Tam did very good work the nurses told me."

"Yes, I know, but he's up there and I am down here. Captain Reynolds, when will we return to the moon?"

All eyes turned to Mal. "Tomorrow we load up the boat with as much as she can carry. Like to do survey of the coastal area try to find some survivors, see if we can find someone who can give us some information. Also, Simon can examine them and see if there are any long term radiation effects. After that, we can go."

"It seems strange, but I miss the base already," said Miller. "It feels more like home now."

"This will be our new home," said Fred and the others, even Miller, quickly agreed.

"And then we will send you home," Tanya told Wash and Mal and all raised their glasses and gave a toast for new homes and old.

* * *

Kaylee had raced down to Simon's room where he was waiting for her and she jumped into his arms. Long delayed passion overcame them and soon they had removed their clothing and lay in each others arms in his bed, exploring each others bodies, touching kissing, holding and loving each other. Kaylee moaned with delight as he brought her to the first of many orgasms with his fingers and mouth and then he was inside her and it was heaven. Simon didn't last long the first time but the next few were long, slow leisurely voyages on a sea of pleasure. After several hours they were spent and lay exhausted in each others arms.

"I love you," he said to her for the tenth time and she replied that she loved him, too. Kaylee ran her hands over his body, letting her fingers go everywhere and Simon stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Well, Doctor, how was I?" Kaylee asked as her mind still reeled from their love making.

"Incredible," Simon breathlessly replied. "And a bit noisy."

"That was your fault."

"I think the whole ship heard you,"

"I don't care. I want the whole verse to hear me."

She snuggled into his arms and lay her head on his chest. "What's going to happen to us?" Kaylee asked after a few moments. "What if we can't get home?"

"We'll get home."

"But what if we can't?"

"We'll make a life here."

"Your parents and my daddy ain't here. Maybe they think we're already dead."

Simon didn't have any magical words of wisdom for her so just stuck to the truth "Kaylee, I don't know anymore than you do. We have to trust Kovalev and hope for the best."

"I know. Just worried. But I'm glad you're here."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else,' he said and they had a long, passionate kiss and hugged each other tightly.

Then suddenly their moment of happiness was rudely interrupted by the proximity klaxon shrieking its shrill sound throughout the ship.

* * *

"What is it?" Mal said to Wash as he came on the bridge and Wash shut off the klaxon. The sun had set and it was pitch black around Serenity. Only thirty minutes ago Mal had ordered Wash to set the proximity warning for the night and now it was going off. He and Wash had been sitting with the scientists at the dining table answering their many questions about technology in their quadrant. Tanya was particularly interested in spacecraft design and manufacture and they were surprised at how old Serenity was. Tanya had even commented that Serenity was better built than most of what they had on Earth. To say they were shocked when Wash informed them that Firefly was considered by many to be an outdated class of ship would have been an understatement. Then the klaxon went off.

"Don't know yet. Let me check thermals," Wash said as he moved to the co-pilot's position and began scanning their surroundings. The moon base people now joined them on the bridge. Mal grabbed the mic.

"Kaylee get to the engine room pronto," he said into the intercom system. Simon answered.

"She's on the way. What's happening?"

"Don't know. Get to the bridge."

"Roger."

"Getting some readings, about a dozen readings, approaching the ship," Wash said.

"Might be animals," Christine suggested.

"Could be," said Mal. "But they looked organized. See how they are in a semi-circle, very tight. Wash, hit the floods."

Wash threw a switch and suddenly the area directly in front of Serenity was bathed in light from Serenity's flood lights. Something had been there but when the lights came on they or it or whatever had run back out of the way.

"What was it?" Tanya shouted.

"Looked human," Miller replied and there was an edge to their voices.

"Calm down folks. Lets get armed and go take a look," Mal ordered. "Fred, stay with Wash and man the sensors. Wash, get Kaylee to have the engines ready. Rest, come with me."

"Do I get a gun this time?" Chin asked and Mal just looked at him.

"You pull any funny stuff I'll be adding your body to the piles outside."

"Understood, Captain."

They met Simon on the way down and Mal told him to get his gun and med kit. After a brief stop at the arms locker and a weapons check all of them headed to the cargo bay ramp, everyone armed and ready, including Chin and Miller, who looked decidedly uncomfortable carrying a weapon. Simon hit the open button and down came the ramp.

Mal walked out first and told the others to stay behind. The floodlights filled the area with light and Mal could sense something on the edges of it.

"We ain't gonna hurt no one," he shouted into the cold night air. "Fact is we'd like to talk to you all."

There was a silence and then a male voice shouted from the darkness. "Who are you?"

"Name's Malcolm Reynolds and this here's my ship Serenity."

Another voice, female, "Where the bloody hell you get a spaceship, mate?"

"It's a long story."

"We got time I reckon," said the man. "Ain't nothing on telly no more. First off, where you from? You sound like a bloody American to me."

"Too right he does," said the woman. "And them's all Alliance."

"I ain't Alliance," Mal answered.

"Ain't Alliance he says?" the man shouted. "Then who the bleeding hell is that behind you in the blue uniforms? The fucking Pope himself, is it!?"

"Listen, you all want to chat out here in the cold all night that's fine with me. I got me a nice warm spaceship and lots of food and booze so I think I'll just head back inside stead of standing here while you all make up your minds to trust us or not. Have a nice night." With that Mal turned around.

"Now, now, mate," the man answered. "Let's not be too hasty like."

A figure walked into the light. He was a large man, easily as tall as Jayne and as big and he was carrying a machine pistol, pointed at the ground. He had long black hair and wore blue jeans and combat boots with a camouflage jacket on top and a khaki bush hat on his head. Mal reckoned they were the same age at first glance.

"Names Jones, Will Jones and I'm leader this here group. And this airport is our territory so you all are trespassing."

"That a fact," said Mal. "Seems to me ain't too many in charge of anything here anymore. We took some fuel so guess we'll have to pay you when money becomes useful again."

"How the fuck you get fuel out of them tanks when there's no fucking juice anymore?" shouted another woman from the darkness.

"We figured it out."

"That so?" said Will Jones. "There's other ways to pay. Like giving us a ride in your ship."

"Where to?"

"Don't matter. Ain't no where else safe in Oz except here. Rads burning up Sydney and Canberra. Serves them fuckers right, throwing in with the Alliance. Just like to go for a ride. Never been. Seen lots of ships but yours is a right fancy rig, too. What is she? Russian?"

"Not exactly." Mal said. "Listen Will Jones, I'd sure like to talk and find out what's going on down here."

"What you mean 'down here'? You all come from the moon or something?"

"Let's chat first. We got us a doctor aboard, take look at any sick folk you got."

"A real doctor?" the woman said and now she came into the light. She was short and blond and carried a shotgun and bandoleer of shells that seemed to weigh down her lithe frame.

"Yeah, he's real all right."

More people started drifting into the light until Mal counted about twelve. All were armed and wore a variety of clothing and there were six males and six females. Mal quickly observed that two of the females were pregnant.

Will Jones walked up to Mal and stuck out his hand and as they shook said, "Welcome to Australia, mate."

* * *

As Simon examined the pregnant ladies and a man with an arm laceration, the rest of Will Jones' people sat in the cargo bay on crates and chairs and Mal had Kaylee and some of the others bring some food and drinks for them. Mal wasn't about to give them the tour and they seemed reluctant to part with their weapons so the party would have to be here or no where. After introductions Kaylee went off to help Simon in the infirmary. Mal was sure to keep hid the fact that Kaylee was a mechanic, calling her a medic's assistant, and he hoped the rest of his group got the hint.

"You all been to Gateway Shopping Centre, eh?' said Will, looking at the label on one of the food packages they had brought out. "That's Markham's territory. He'll be pissed you took some of his stash."

"Who's Markham?" Mal asked as he swigged a beer.

"He runs the next sector where the shopping centre is. Most of the city is divided now, gangs like us, armed and trying to survive. Each gang is small or the food would run out real quick like. We got us two supermarkets nearby, mostly empty now. Spend most of our time guarding them. But when we saw you landing, just had to come have a look."

"There was no one in the shopping center," Chin told him. "No one we saw anyway."

"That so?" Will said after a swig of cold beer. "Christ, that's good beer. Been a while. Well, maybe old Markham was hiding seeing as you all were strangers or maybe he got bumped off by another gang. He's a selfish bugger anyway trying to hang onto that mall by himself. Enough there to share with everyone. Guess we'll take a look see tomorrow."

"How many people do you think are still here?" Tanya asked next.

"Don't know. We're just twelve. It's a good number. We're all paired up, all couples see. Look out for each other, keep each other warm at night now that its winter. Be expecting a few babies in the spring or summer."

"That's good,' said Christine. "We need more babies."

"That's for sure," said the small blond with Will. "Be my turn next, right love?"

"Right you are, love," Will said and he gave her a kiss.

"Has anyone died of radiation illness," Miller asked and Will gave him a dirty look.

"You British, mate?'

"Yes, from London actually."

"Fucking bastards, the lot of you. And you bloody Americans too and the Chinese and the Russians, started this mess. Fucked the world you did and this is all that's left."

He was mad now and Mal was on edge waiting for an explosion, his hand on his pistol.

"You all are guests on my ship. That can change mighty quick."

"Sorry," said the blond as she lay on hand on Will's arm as he calmed down. "We just…everything is gone, all we knew, most of our friends and family. I had a brother and my mother. All of us lost someone."

"So did we," said Christine. "My parents were in New York. Now it's gone."

"Sorry, lass," said Will and Mal felt like he meant it. "How bad was it? Have you seen the rest?"

"We have," said Mal and he and Wash and the others told the story of the devastation of the parts of the Earth they had seen and the Australians just listened in stony silence, a few of them weeping.

"That's first news we had in two years," said Will, his voice heavy with emotion. "You're from the moon base, aren't you?"

"Yes," said Mal and decide to lie just a little cause it would be too complicated to talk about wormholes and where they were from. "Took us two years to repair that spacecraft."

"But you said you ain't Alliance?" said the blond. "And this is your ship."

"Was civilian transport, made the last run to the moon before the war," Mal lied again and they seemed to accept this explanation. "Guess it's the only one left on Earth."

The blond looked at Will and then he looked to the others before replying. "Er, that ain't exactly true mate."

"What do you mean?' said Tanya with hope in her voice.

"We know where there's another one. Spaceship, that is," said Will. "In good shape. But she got no power and no fuel, so she's pretty useless."

"Oh, not to worry," Miller said, a bit tipsy after one too many drinks. "They have a secret for such occasions."

"Miller, shut it," Mal said, rising to his feet from the crate he was sitting on.

"What sort of secret?" Will asked all curious, he and Miller not noticing Mal stand up.

"Her," Miller said as Kaylee walked into the cargo bay from the infirmary and then Mal punched Miller out cold with one stunning blow.

"I told you to shut it," Mal said, the anger clear in his words and tone.

"Good one, mate," Will said with glee. "Never liked them pommy bastards anyways."

Everyone else sat in stony silence looking at Mal in shock. "Capt'n? What's going on?" Kaylee said as she saw what just happened.

"It's all right folks. Dr. Miller and I just had a disagreement. Wash, could you and Fred put him to bed?"

"Sure, Mal," Wash said with a slight grin and he and a wide eyed Fred lifted Miller up and carried him off to the passenger rooms.

"I wish I had punched him,' they heard Fred comment as they left.

Chin was staring at Mal. "There was no call for that, Captain."

"I told you all to do as I say and do it fast and he didn't listen. Now you see what you'll get if you do the same."

Chin just shook his head and walked out of the cargo bay toward the passenger rooms.

"He's a right stuck up asshole, ain't he?" Will said with a chuckle.

"That he is," Chirstine added and Mal figured they meant Chin was a monkey's butt hole and quickly agreed.

After some more chitchatting and a few drinks Simon came out with the injured man all repaired and the two pregnant ladies and announced all was well. He then asked what Miller had asked earlier. "Is there any rad sickness?"

Will and the others recounted how at first many, many people got ill and died. Many went underground but the attacks were so sudden and no one was prepared so they were soon forced to emerge to find food and water. There were so many dead, the stench was everywhere, basic services shut down, and there were some fires and riots. A mass exodus began out of the city when the water supplies were too fouled with the dead and with chemicals from spills. Will had left at first and gradually gathered his band in the countryside. At least there was clean water and some food out there but the animals were ill and dieing and the crops were almost all failures the first season. Only last year they heard were good crops brought it, but it wasn't like in the past.

Will and his band gravitated toward Melbourne again and fought a few battles till they had their own small corner of the desolated city. He told them how they found the spaceship and it was one of their hopes to get it operational again but they had no one with any engineering or mechanical training. Will had been a famous pro wrestler, "Big Willy" he was called before the war, and the others had a variety of jobs but no one could fix the ship or any of the many abandoned cars and vehicles. But as for rad sickness they hadn't seen a case for six months now and Simon and the others took this as a good sign.

"So, Mal," Will said a little drunk now. "Think your 'secret' can fix up my ship?"

"Not without me and my guns standing nearby," Mal said and was already regretting letting these people on board. "Hate to be inhospitable, but it's time my folks got some rest and we ain't such good friends yet I'll let you stay aboard."

Will stood up and picked up his gun and slung it over his shoulder and all his people rose. "Well, Mal, we're thankful for your hospitality. Time we went and checked on our place anyways. Like to drop by tomorrow if that's all right, mate?"

"We got plans for the day but when you see us return, just knock on the door."

Will agreed and then led his people off the ship after some hand shakes and goodbyes. They seemed very friendly and honest and that made Mal even more suspicious.

"You don't trust him, do you?" said Simon to Mal as he shut and locked the door.

"Not for a second."

"Why did you hit Miller, Capt'n?" Kaylee asked.

"Cause he got a big mouth and told these folks that you have mechanical talent. Not directly but they got the point."

"But I'd be happen to help them out," Kaylee said. 'And we sure could use another spaceship."

"That we could and I known you'd help anyone needs it Kaylee, but they might find you a bit too valuable to let go," said Mal and then they all got what he was driving at. "You too, Simon. People with your expertise are sorely lacking these days, here at least. Last time we offer any assistance to anyone unless they're dieing. In fact, let's take off right now. I think I'd rather spend the night in orbit than here. Wash, Kaylee." And his pilot and mechanic went to do their jobs.

"But our instruments,' Fred said with almost a pleading tone. "They're still outside."

"Let them be," Mal said. "That there gang is likely to be waiting to ambush us right now and this area got too many hiding places they know about and we don't."

Mal headed for the bridge and as soon as he was on it he told Wash to take off. Twenty minutes later and they were in a low Earth orbit just inside the debris field of space junk.

"Time to call your wife," Mal said to Wash as the moon came into view over the horizon.


	11. Chapter 11

___Mal finds an enemy and an ally while River decides that waiting for things to happen is just not her style._

**The Return – Part 11**

"Moonbase Armstrong, this is Serenity, come in Moonbase Armstrong," Wash spoke into the long range comms. After a few seconds of static the reply came back, a female comms tech.

"Roger, Serenity, Moonbase Armstrong, over."

"Roger, Moonbase, would like to have a word with Zoe Washburne if it's no trouble, over."

"Understood, Serenity. Call back in ten minutes, over."

"Roger. Serenity, out."

"Ten minutes," said Mal, pondering, wondering what's going on. "Guess she's having dinner or something. One thing's for sure, she ain't in charge yet."

"That plan was kind of a long shot anyways, Mal. I mean they got at least twenty or more armed men up there."

"Yeah," Mal replied. "At least, and we don't know who's with Jackson and who ain't."

"What about the folks with us?"

"Chin is Jackson's man for sure, Miller too, if he wasn't he sure is now after I punched his lights out. Tanya, I got a good feeling about her and the others. But you never can tell." "What's our plan, Mal? I mean, just few of us, we go blazing in there like at the Skyplex we might have a chance or all might end up dead. Awful risky."

"Might need some reinforcements."

"Reinforcements from where?"

* * *

Kaylee, Tanya, Christine and Fred were cleaning up the cargo bay after the small party, moving chairs back to the passenger lounge and picking up empty beer bottles and food wrappers.

"You think they really have a spaceship?" Christine asked Tanya, the moon base's resident aerospace engineering expert.

"Who knows?" she replied. "If they say it's intact it may be possible to repair. Miller and his big mouth. He's such a fool."

"A pompous fool," Fred added

"Capt'n don't take kindly to people not following orders," Kaylee told them. "Even hit Simon a few times in the past."

That shocked everyone still and Tanya asked why.

Kaylee had opened up a bit too much, knowing it was too hard to explain about why Simon was on board Serenity and why the Capt'n had hit him without mentioning River, so now she had to backtrack a little or lie, not being very good at either. "Ah, cause he wasn't following orders. That's all I can say, sorry."

"I called him a thief and said he was probably an informer for the Alliance," Simon said from the passenger lounge door as he entered the cargo bay. "I was a passenger when I first came on board and didn't realize what you all know now, that this is a ship of, to put it the way Mal does, 'folks looking to make an honest living'. At least I got the first part right but Malcolm Reynolds has no love for the Alliance."

"So we've gathered," said Fred.

"You gotta understand," said Kaylee as Simon came to her side. "Capt'n was in the war against the Alliance and saw a lot of bad things."

"There was a war?" Christine asked in surprise and Simon and Kaylee briefly explained.

"War follows us everywhere," Tanya said with sadness. After that they finished the cleaning job and then everyone decided they needed to rest. After some goodnights, Tanya, Christine, and Fred went off to their passenger rooms.

Simon and Kaylee sat in the passenger lounge, snuggling on the sofa. "Time for bed for us too, Doctor?"

"Your place or mine?"

"Yours is bigger. But lots of folks close by trying to sleep. Walls kinda thin down here."

"You mean we're not going to sleep?"

"Well, sure, I mean…after."

Simon just grinned. "Let's try yours for now. See which is better. Why don't you get it ready while I brush my teeth and get some things?"

He gave her a long kiss and then Kaylee went off with joy in her heart. Simon entered his room and grabbed his washcloth and toothbrush and paste and went to the toilet. A few minutes later he opened the door a crack and was surprised to see Chin and Miller crossing the passenger lounge, heading to the cargo bay, both with weapons in their hands and determined looks on their faces.

* * *

"Hey baby, how's everything up there? Over," Wash said to his wife across tens of thousands of kilometers of the empty void.

"Just a bit sleepy, had a long rest," and then she yawned. Mal and Wash looked at each other in surprise.

"Everything OK, Zoe? Over," Mal asked next.

"Sure thing, sir, everything's peachy. Had the grand tour, everything's just like back on Capricorn Moon, sir."

Mal suddenly got very tense and Wash knew something was wrong.

"Sounds great, Zoe. We should be back tomorrow. We found some survivors and Simon wants to check them for long term radiation effects, over."

"Okey dokey, sir. See you later, baby. Can't wait to give you a big hug."

"Roger that, baby," Wash replied, after a brief hesitation when he thought she was calling Mal 'baby'. "Serenity, out."

"Gorramn it, gorramn it all to hell!" Mal said with clenched teeth and then added about twenty choice Chinese curse words.

"That didn't sound like the Zoe I married," Wash said after Mal calmed down a bit. "'Peachy' 'okey dokey' 'give you a big hug'?"

"It wasn't her, I mean it was but she's under duress," Mal answered as he stood behind Wash's chair, thinking what to do now. Wash swiveled his chair around to face Mal.

"Duress? You mean they have a gun pointed at her head? Maybe she's just tired."

"Wash, you've known Zoe for what, seven years now, and has she even been tired after waking up?"

"Nope, always fit as a lion and ready for love, and war, too. What happened on Capricorn Moon?"

"It was during the war. It was a trap. Capricorn Moon was an advanced supply post for the Browncoats. Alliance force landed, one of our transmitters was captured and the operator forced to report that all was well. We landed and had a hell of a fight. Only few of us made it back to the ship to tell the tale."

"And now you think….oh God!"

And Mal didn't know whether Wash was saying 'Oh God" because his wife was in trouble or because of something he saw. He was looking past Mal and his face turned pale, his eyes got big and then Mal turned and saw Chin at the top of the stairs, pistol pointed toward him. Before he could think or draw his pistol there was a loud shout "MAL!" and then a deafening blast on the bridge of Serenity and everything went red before Mal's eyes.

* * *

Simon left his toiletries in the bathroom and watched Miller and Chin as they entered the cargo bay and went up the stairs. Then he dashed across to the infirmary where his 9mm pistol he had carried earlier was lying on a shelf after he had removed it to take care of the injured Australia and examine the two pregnant women. He now drew the pistol and followed the two Alliance men. He knew exactly where they were headed and had no time to do anything except follow them.

Up the stairs and then down the fore hall Simon went and he saw them on the bridge stairs, Miller at the bottom carrying a machine pistol, Chin at the top, a pistol aimed forward and then Simon did it all without thinking, forgetting his oath as a healer and knowing he had to protect his crew and especially his lovely lady from these men. He shouted "MAL" and fired a split second before Chin did, aiming high, hoping to scare them into surrender. But it was not to be.

Simon's bullet was a miracle shot, from the point of view of what would have happened if he had missed, hitting Chin dead on in the back of the head and exiting through his forehead, spraying blood and brains all over Mal and the bridge. The bullet bounced off one of the bridge window frame supports and landed on the deck. Chin's gun had fired but the aim was off as the shooter was dieing, the bullet just missing Mal's head, going wide and hitting a bulkhead and ricocheting into Wash's left upper arm. The pilot screamed in pain and then dropped to the floor between his control panel and his chair. Chin just dropped like a stone and was dead before he hit the deck.

Miller was turning toward Simon, the machine pistol in his hands and Simon froze and Miller fired.

Click.

Nothing happened for a second as the elderly scientist looked in surprise at his gun and then Mal was flying off the top bridge step and his boots hit Miller in the back of the head and sent the scientist sprawling. Mal was on him in a second and had the gun out of his hands as Miller lay weeping on the floor of the fore hall.

"It was all Chin! I had nothing to do with it!" he shouted, pathetically cringing on the floor.

Kaylee came tearing up out of her bunk and stood in shock at the sights before her. Mal was covered in blood, Simon was pointing a pistol at him and her mind whirled in a thousand different directions.

"Capt'n! Are you hurt?!"

"Ain't my blood, Kaylee."

"What?" then she turned to her man. "Simon? What are you doing?" she was looking at Simon but his eyes were far away staring off toward Mal and not even seeing her. Simon was still in shock at killing a man, just standing there pointing his gun forward.

"Simon," she said in a more gentle voice and Kaylee touched his arm and he blinked and looked at her and the life started to come back into his eyes as he lowered the weapon.

"Owww!" came from the bridge. "Need a little help here."

Simon snapped out of his trance more at the call for help. "Wash!" and he ran to the bridge, Kaylee following him, still wondering what the hell was going on and why Simon was acting so strange and why no one was telling her anything. Simon stepped over Chin without a second glance and went to Wash's side, helping him up into his chair, pressing his hand on the wound to staunch the flow of blood.

Kaylee froze when she say the body and blood, knew more than she wanted, and just recoiled down the stairs to where Mal was picking Miller roughly up, the scientist still whimpering.

"See this?" Mal said, shoving the machine pistol into Miller's face, Mal looking like the devil himself, Chin's blood and brain matter still dripping off his face. "That's called a safety. And you turn it this way when you want to kill someone, you!" And he shoved the barrel into Miller's face.

"Capt'n! What happened?!"

Mal was just going to kill Miller when he heard Kaylee's voice from far away through his seething tide of anger. He took the gun from Miller's head but still held him against the wall.

"Don't rightly know. Seems we had an assassin on board and I was the target."

"Who…who…killed Chin?" she stammered and she knew before Simon spoke.

"I did," he said in a shocked voice as he led Wash off the bridge, not even looking at Kaylee and Mal.

* * *

Miller sat in the passenger lounge with Mal standing over him with his pistol drawn, the other Alliance people sitting nearby, all in shock at this turn of events, scared at the look of horror Mal represented, the blood still on his face and clothes. Wash was on the infirmary examining table as Simon took the bullet out of his arm, Kaylee assisting him. It wasn't deep and only required a heavy bandage and no stitches.

"Thanks, Simon." Wash said.

"It's my job," Simon quietly replied as he bandaged the arm and Kaylee cut the bandage with scissors.

"No, I mean, for what you did…to Chin."

A dark cloud passed over Simon's features and Kaylee put a hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be alright, Simon" she said and knew it might never be so.

"It's…I'm not supposed to kill people, I'm supposed to heal them," he said in a quiet voice.

"Sometimes you have to do what is necessary," Wash said gravely "When we rescued Mal off the Skyplex that was the first time I ever killed someone."

"I didn't know," Simon replied sympathetically

"I ain't ever killed anyone," Kaylee said quietly. "And don't ever want to."

They came out of the infirmary when Mal called them. "Capt'n let me clean you up," Kaylee offered, wanting to recoil from him but trying her best to be brave.

"Not yet," he growled. "I want these folks to see what's left of Chin's brains."

No one said anything for a few moments until Tanya found her nerve.

"Captain Reynolds, you don't think we had anything to do with this, do you?" Tanya said the fear in her voice obvious. "Surely you must know we are on your side."

"I am, too!" pleaded Miller and Mal pointed his pistol at him.

"Shut it or your next words be your last," he said with venom. "Now I got me a dilemma. I got two traitors on my ship and there might be more. It weren't for Simon here now I'd be dead and Chin be in charge of my ship. Thanks Doc, by the way. Nice shooting."

"I wasn't trying to kill him," Simon said. "Just…I don't know…it happened so fast."

"He's dead alright," Mal said. "No matter what you tried to do. So, back to the main topic of discussion. I got three more Alliance people I ain't sure about. So were gonna find out the old fashion way. Follow me everyone."

He grabbed Miller by the collar and stood him up and dragged the whimpering man to the cargo bay, everyone following, fear in some of their hearts.

Mal went straight to the air lock and hit the controls opening the inner doors.

"Capt'n…." Kaylee started when she realized what he was about to do, but stopped when he gave her a horrible look.

"Mal, this isn't right," Simon said and Mal turned his glare on him.

"You got no call to tell me what is right or not on my ship Doc, especially when this man tried to kill me and you also and you got someone's blood on your hands."

"Mal," Wash said calmly. "I gotta agree with the Doc on this one."

"What's going on?" Fred asked in a nervous tone. "What are you going to do with him?"

Mal just ignored them and shoved Miller into the airlock, where he fell and Mal pointed his pistol at him and kept his other hand on the inner door button.

"Start talking or out you go," Mal growled at Miller.

"What? Out…there?" Miller stood and looked toward the outer doors and then at Mal. "Are you crazy?"

"Just about. Start talking!"

Everyone was silent as Miller looked from person to person, fear on his face. "You know me, I'm a scientist, I'm not a killer!"

"Why did you have the gun?" Tanya asked him.

"It was Chin…and Jackson! Chin told me he had orders to kill the captain and take over the ship! It's all his fault!"

"Who else was involved, who else knew?" Mal asked sternly.

Miller looked at the others and shook his head. "No one, it was just Chin."

"You know what? I think I just might believe you. But you could've stopped him," Mal said. "You didn't have to follow him. I guess it was payback for me slugging you cause you got a big mouth. Won't have to worry about that again."

And with that Mal hit the inner door button and as they slid closed, Miller dropped to his knees. "For the love of God!"

"I have no love for God," Mal said grimly as the doors slammed shut and before anyone in the stunned audience could move or protest he hit the ramp button and the next thing they heard was Miller screaming as he was sucked out into space and froze to death an instant later. His body floated away and became part of the space debris field orbiting Earth.

After closing the ramp, Mal glared at the three remaining Alliance people. "Keep this in mind next time you get a notion to stab me or mine in the back."

No one said a word, the horror of what just happened too vivid. Mal handed the machine pistol Miller had carried to Wash. "Clean up the bridge and get rid of Chin and then get to bed. I need a shower." And he walked off toward the passenger lounge without even a look at anyone.

* * *

No one could sleep, the horror of the events still starkly replaying themselves, more so for Simon than anyone else. Kaylee held him tight and comforted him as they lay on her bunk, Simon speaking on his horror at having killed a fellow human being. He hadn't tried to hit him but now that he had he realized it had probably saved Mal and Wash and the rest of them. He understood that it had to be done but it was too soon, too close and the clean up had made it worse. He had wrapped Chin's head in a sheet and Fred helped him carry the body on the stretcher down to the cargo bay, where Chin was dumped into the bomb bay and then released into space. Simon went back to the bridge and spent a half an hour cleaning the blood and brains and skull fragments up, not allowing anyone to help him, saying it was his responsibility, and secretly the others were glad he volunteered. Simon then gave Wash a shot for any infection and ordered him to bed, but Wash couldn't sleep, his mind worrying on his absent wife and all that was happening. Finally he drifted off but it was not a restful sleep.

When Simon was done he went off to clean the blood from his hands and when he came back to the dining area Mal was sitting with Kaylee. The captain was clean and had fresh clothes on and he, Simon and Kaylee sat and had a shot of sake that had recently been liberated from the Melbourne shopping mall. Mal told them what happened with Zoe just prior to the shooting and they worried and pondered on their next move.

"What're we gonna do, Capt'n?" Kaylee asked. "Everything's going to pieces."

"We're still alive so there's that at least," said Mal.

"Can't say the same for Chin or Miller," Simon said in an emotionless tone and Kaylee was worried on his state of mind.

"Simon," Mal began. "I got no wisdom for you. I killed too many bad people and maybe even a few good ones to care much anymore. First time was hard but it was in battle and many of them we're trying to kill me and mine so I got over it. You think on it that way and you'll get through this."

"It's too…soon," Simon said and rose and Kaylee stood with him and led him to her bunk.

Mal sat for a long time thinking on what had happened and what to do. He went to the bridge and the smell of blood and disinfectant was still strong. He should never have let Chin on his boat in the first place. I'm getting old and stupid. Shepherd Book once said to him that only the cautious grow old in the kind of life Mal led and the wisdom of the preacher was never more obvious to Mal. But he had one more stupid thing to do if his people were going to survive what was to come. He needed more guns, reinforcements, and there was only one place he knew to get them. He looked out the bridge windows and then saw the moon again and wondered what the hell was happening up there.

* * *

Right now Zoe was back in her room, explaining to Inara that everyone on Serenity was fine, not knowing what had just happened on their ship. She had been held at gun point in the comms room, Jackson and three guards standing over her, as she talked to her husband and captain. She took a risk giving her warning to Mal and Wash, hoping like hell the Alliance people didn't know what she was trying to do. After a long sleep Zoe and Inara had awoken with groggy heads to discover River missing and their door locked. They quickly surmised that they had been drugged with the food and Zoe cursed her own stupidity in believing they would be able to outwit Jackson. She could only hope that the Shepherd had some how managed to get some help in his way.

Book and Jayne were unaware of all that was going on with the rest of their crew mates. After breakfast was brought to them the soldier who had spoken with Book about giving a sermon arrived with two armed guards and said Commander Jackson had given permission for him to give a service for the men who had died in the recent spaceship accident.

"I would be happy to say some words over the fallen," Book replied.

"What about me?" Jayne asked, trying to be as pleasant as possible.

"No, Mr. Cobb, you are not permitted to leave this room," the soldier answered. "Commander Jackson was very clear about that."

Book could see Jayne about to explode again. "Easy, son. You will be set free from this cage before long. Have faith."

"Long could be ten minutes or ten years, Shepherd," Jayne growled. "Ain't exactly a definite time. How's about I just strangle these three with my bare hands and that be the end of it."

The soldier stood back suddenly and the other two raised their weapons toward Jayne.

"Everyone calm down," Book said in a soothing tone. "Nobody wants to hurt anyone. I think its time to let Mr. Cobb have some time to contemplate his rash remarks."

"Yeah," said Jayne." 'Fore I bash in your skulls." And he glared at the three soldiers before he went back to his bed and sat down with a disgruntled grimace on his face. Book just sighed and left with the soldiers.

* * *

River awoke and was still strapped to the table in the same room. She left her eyes closed and pretended to sleep as she listened to someone talking.

"They've been manipulating her centers of emotional response, trying to make her highly sensitive to the feelings of others. I think we might be dealing with someone who has some kind of psychic ability," said a female tech.

The next voice River knew and it was Jackson. "What kind of abilities could she have?"

River felt him in the room and searched out for his mind but she couldn't control her abilities and as she tried harder they were failing her. The thoughts and memories came in flashes and if a mind was unguarded it was so much easier. Jackson's was not such a mind.

A male tech answered Jackson. "The most common are related to what lay people call mind reading, but the degree of this skill is un-recordable. She may be able to interpret our thoughts, possibly know when things are going to happen before they do, or know what actions a person is about to take. Only testing will give us the answers."

"Commander, they are ready for the service," said another male voice.

"I'll be there in a minute. Keep monitoring her and make a plan for testing her abilities."

"Sir, I don't mean to speak out of turn, but to what purpose?" the male asked.

"That does not concern you. Do your jobs. Soon we will be on Earth again, I promise."

The door opened and closed again and River was alone with the med techs.

"All this trouble for one little girl,' said the female tech. "What is he going to do with her?"

"I learned a long time ago that when the Commander says I don't need to know then I don't need to know,' said the man.

"Do you really think we will get back to Earth?" she asked next, some hope and also skepticism in her voice.

"When that ship returns and we get all the data, then we'll know," he replied. "I for one am looking forward to fresh air and blue skies."

"And the dead? Almost 20 billion,' said the woman, very upset now. "What about his responsibility for that?"

"You better stop talking like that or he'll do the same to you as he did to Wilkins and Smathers! And besides, the Russians attacked first. We had no choice but to launch the missiles!"

"We had no say in that decision! He murdered millions!"

"And he will do so again to get where he wants to be! Do you want to be one of them?"

There was a long silence, broken only by the hum of the monitors. Suddenly, the female spoke.

"And what of Serenity's crew? What's to become of them?"

"No one knows. But someone said Chin didn't just go along for a sightseeing trip."

River suddenly knew what he meant and what Chin was supposed to do. Her brain reeled in anguish for her brother and friends and she started shaking violently.

"She's awake!" the male yelled. "Get me the hypo!"

River was convulsing, her body shaking as much as the straps allowed, the straps coming loose as she shook.

"Inject her!" the woman yelled.

"I can't! She's convulsing!"

"Her brain scans are fluctuating wildly!"

"Stick her anywhere!"

Suddenly all the brains scans went flat and River stopped shaking and stared straight through the male tech who was trying to inject her.

"Now you'll see," and in one motion she pulled her left arm up and through the straps that had loosened from her convulsions and she jabbed out and hit the male tech in the throat.

He gasped and dropped the needle on River's lap as his hands flew to his throat and he staggered and fell to the floor. River quickly released her right arm strap, pulled off all the sensors from her head, and went for her legs next. The woman was just staring at her in stunned paralysis. River freed herself, took the hypo and stood just as the woman recovered and was reaching for the door. River's arm flashed out, the needle struck the woman in the chest and the drugs went straight home and she collapsed in a heap on the floor. As River walked to the door she kicked the male in the face and he was instantly unconscious.

"Told you," River said and she went to door and exited the room. Two guards were outside and before they could speak or yell River punched, kicked and disarmed them, with quick fluid motions, and then dragged their unconscious bodies inside the examining room. She grabbed one of the pistol belts and put it on, put the second guard's pistol in the belt, and picked up the two machine pistols that they were carrying. She took one of their blue caps and stuck it on her head.

"Now I'm ready," she said and she left the room into the empty corridor, her mind on one target, on one person, Commander Jackson. But first, she needed some muscle on her side and Jayne Cobb and Zoe Washburne fit the bill perfectly.

River strode like a cat through the empty corridors, quickly finding the main artery through the base and then the corridor toward the airlock and where she knew Jayne and Book were being kept. No one was about, all was silent, and as River reached the last corner she knew that this would not continue to be so. Jayne and Book's room had guards outside and they would not be fooled if she was armed. She placed her weapons and cap to the floor quietly and then walked around the corner, pretending to be lost and acting like she was sleep walking. The two guards outside the room noticed her immediately as she approached.

"Hey, little girl, you lost or something?" one guard said to her.

The second guard raised his weapon. "Miss, you are not supposed to be here unescorted. Please stop."

River stopped and blinked rapidly, "Where am I?"

"Miss, let me take you back to you room," said the first soldier with a grin on his face. "Say, I heard one of those ladies is a professional prostitute."

"She is and she's very good," said River sleepily. "What would like her to do?"

"Well, I don't…" and he never finished as River was now within kicking range of the two guards and in swift blinding moves she rendered them unconscious and had Jayne's door opened in a flash.

"What the gorramn...?" But he stopped remembering the listening devices.

Jayne held up a finger for her to be quiet, and helped her move the bodies inside. River left and then came back a moment later with her weapons and cap. Meanwhile, Jayne had been stripping the weapons of these two guards. They left the room and went down the empty corridor.

"Don't know how you did it, don't care," he said quietly. "All I want to know is where's Jackson."

River ignored his question. "Where's Book?"

"Saying words over some dead folks. I bet that's where Jackson is."

"First we get Zoe and Inara," said River and they walked to the main corridor of the moon base, both heavily armed, and Jayne felt like all was right in the verse again. He had a gun in his hand and was free and he was with a pretty girl carrying guns who just kicked the hell out of two armed men. Things we're definitely looking up.

* * *

Inara was sick with worry over everyone and felt pretty useless sitting in her room. Her part of the plan, the seduction of Jackson or some other higher up, had never come to fruition and she now had a groggy head from the drugs that their food had been laced with. Zoe's brief absence to talk to Wash and Mal and subsequent return only served to tell her that they were now prisoners. Zoe had asked the guards about River but they knew nothing or were ordered not to say anything. At least they were glad that everyone on Serenity was fine and there had been no trouble. She said a prayer to Buddha to protect all of them and guide their steps to the right path of freedom.

Zoe couldn't chance explaining to Inara that she warned Mal and Wash about they predicament, not knowing if any listening devices were still in the room or not. As far as leadership went, Zoe scored low points but knew she shouldn't be too harsh on herself. All that had happened so far was a series of unprecedented events for the crew and they were all in the dark, learning as they went. She worried also about River and kept her fears to herself, not wanting to upset Inara.

"What are we going to do?" Inara asked Zoe as they sat at the table, both down in the dumps.

"Captain will be back soon. Then we'll be free, you see. Just a set back. Jackson is maybe a bit paranoid, doesn't trust us."

Then they heard noise outside their room, punches landing, bodies falling and then the door was opened and River and Jayne were dragging two guards into the room. Everyone lent a hand and kept quiet and soon they were in the empty corridor.

"About time," Zoe said to Jayne

"Ain't like we was taking a vacation," Jayne replied, as he handed her a machine pistol.

"Where's Book?" asked Inara as she gingerly held a pistol River gave her.

"Giving a sermon for the dead," Jayne replied and looked at Zoe. "What's the plan?"

"We should call Mal first," Inara said.

"No time," Zoe answered. "We got the element of surprise. If we go to the comms station, which I'm sure is still manned and guarded, we might lose the initiative. We find Book first."

"And then kill Jackson?" Jayne asked with a leer.

"By all means," Zoe said and they set off to find the Shepherd.

* * *

The unused dining facility served as the memorial hall for the dead, six tables placed in front of a make shift alter, six bodies wrapped in linen and laid out on the tables. Many chairs were arraigned in rows and Book guessed the majority of the base's personal were here. He was handed a list of the dead so he'd know their names during the service. Also, on each table was a photo of the deceased. Lastly Commander Jackson entered with two guards and he took a seat of honor in the front row next to Gregori Kovalev and Captain Joseph Papusha. The captain had crutches and his leg was heavily bandaged. As Jackson sat Book strode to the altar and began the service, opening his Bible and placing it on the altar.

"I am Shepherd Book, recently arrived amongst you in unusually circumstances to say the least. I've been asked to say a service for the recently dead and I am honored you have chosen me. I did not know these four men and two women but I know you did and today we are gathered to honor their memory and the ultimate sacrifice they gave in trying to make life better for you. I shall read the list of the dead and then we shall observe one minute of silence in their memory."

And Book read the list and as each name was called there were gasps and some crying, and then a long silence of one minute, interrupted by sniffles and tears.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away," Book began after the minute had passed. "Who are we to understand His reasons for taking our brothers and sisters from us in our hour of need. The ways of the Lord are mysterious but we know that he has a higher purpose for us all. He has called his six children to his bosom and they shall reside in the house of the Lord for the rest of eternity. Do not lament their fates for they are in a better place and have found peace at last. For us the struggle of life continues but we should not be overly burdened with fears of what lies ahead. The Lord shall make a path for us to follow and will guide our steps until it is time for us to join our brothers and sisters in His house, Amen."

"Amen," the room answered, most of the room anyway, and Book was certain there were a few Buddhists and Muslims in the congregation. Book then stepped forward and lay a hand on each table where the dead lay and read a passage from the Bible, passages of hope, of redemption, and lastly of salvation for those who ask for forgiveness and absolution. As he said these last words at the last table he couldn't help but glance at Jackson and the commander seemed aware of Shepherd's meaning but his cold façade did not change.

Next Shepherd asked if anyone would like to say anything and after a few moments Captain Joseph Papusha struggled to his feet on his crutches, helped by Gregori.

"I was captain and pilot of the Romanov," he began in a sad voice. "It was a sound ship, well repaired. But I failed these people and I failed you, my friends. My skills could not save them. They died trying to reach the stars. Perhaps their sacrifice was not in vain, as we have found new friends and a new ship. Now with my wife Tanya they are exploring the Earth, looking for a safe place to live. God willing they should find this place and we will have a new life. As for the stars, they are not for me anymore."

Gregori Kovalev was glaring at his son-in-law and then stood. "My friends we should not give up the dream of reaching Londinium. Serenity can do it!"

There were groans and shouts of 'fool' and 'dreamer' and Book suddenly realized all that had happened and of the split between Jackson and Gregori and why both wanted Serenity.

Jackson stood as Gregori sat in embarrassment and then all was silent.

"We have come here to say goodbye to our friends, not to debate this issue once again."

Then with a bang the dining room doors were flung open and Jayne, River, Zoe and Inara stood there pointing weapons at everyone.

"I think it's time we said goodbye to you," said Jayne as he pointed his weapon at Jackson.

* * *

Mal awoke after a few hours rest and got everyone out of bed with a wake up call through the intercom system. Most could only manage brief naps, the events of the previous day still very vivid. After a quick breakfast at which everyone was a bit subdued, Simon especially so, Mal ordered Wash to fly Serenity back to Melbourne.

Serenity circled the Earth for a return to the airport at Melbourne with dawn just beginning over the mostly deserted city. As usual Wash managed to land perfectly, even in the semi-darkness, and the ship touched down near the scientific instruments, which Fred reported were still transmitting data to his laptop computer through wireless interface now that he was in range again..

"Now we wait," Mal said. "Everyone to the cargo bay."

Kaylee wanted to ask what they were waiting for but knew the Capt'n was making a plan and maybe he didn't want everyone to know just yet. She trusted Tanya, Christine and Fred but she knew she had an overabundance of trust and sometimes her instincts were wrong about people. Her mind was also dulled by lack of sleep. She fretted over Simon all night and neither slept much, her man tossing and turning and mumbling in his sleep. It would take a long time for Simon to get over what he had done to Chin.

Mal went right over to the secret hiding place under the stairs and started taking out the weapons the crew had hidden earlier. "Give me a hand," he said and they started taking out many rifles, machine guns, pistols, and the ammo for them. He had them stack the arms in the center of the cargo bay near the ramp. He then opened up a weapons locker and handed out guns to everyone, including the moon base people.

"I'm trusting you. Trust me," Mal said to the Alliance people and no one had a chance to reply as a rap came to the door in the middle of the cargo bay ramp. Mal walked over, looked through, and opened the door.

"Just you," he said and then after a moment Will Jones walked in.

"Gi'day ladies and gents. See you're ready for war."

"Got a proposal for you," Mal said to Will.

"That right, Mal? What kind of proposal would that be? Not the marrying kind I hope, cause my Dora be pissed if it was."

That brought a few smiles, even one from Mal. "Nope, nothing of the kind. I got me a little dilemma and I need you and your gang's services. This shipment of weapons and ammo here be payment."

Will walked over to the guns, picked one or two out of their crates, didn't seem too impressed. "You know Australia was never a gun crazy culture like America or some others, but we got our fair share of weapons here about, left by the military and hunters and the like. So, why should I do something for you, which knowing life these days must be a bit risky, and get paid in something I can get for free? Get what I mean?"

Mal nodded. "Yeah, I get it. So what will you accept in payment?'

"Her," he said pointing to Kaylee, who suddenly felt very small and her face was hot and flush.

"She's not for sale!" Simon said defiantly as he stepped in front of Kaylee.

"Definitely not," Mal said, his hand going for his gun.

"Whoa, lads, we don't wanna kept her, just borrow her, get me spaceship up and running, see."

Mal took his hand from his gun. "Might be able to arraign that. No guarantees she'll get it working. Chance you want to take?"

"Well, she's bound to get one or ten of these cars or trucks running if not the spaceship," Will said. "Maybe a few petrol station pumps also. Whatever is possible we'll take in payment."

Mal turned to his mechanic. "Kaylee?"

"Sure, Capt'n, long as you guys are with me."

"Looks like we have an accord," Mal said to Will Jones. "But after the job is finished."

Will thought about it, and then nodded. "Deal. Now, what's the job?"

"How'd you like to go for that spaceship ride?" Mal said and Will Jones' smile lit up the whole cargo bay.

"Where to, mate?"

"To the moon."


	12. Chapter 12

_Battle begins on the moon as Mal prepares his new friends to join the assault._

**The Return – Part 12 **

Jayne had kicked open the doors to the left of where Shepherd Book was giving his sermon behind his makeshift altar. As Jackson had said his last words and Jayne gave his quip in reply he realized he had made a serious mistake. Ten more armed men were here near the far door, to the right of Book and behind Jackson, their weapons already coming up as Jayne spoke. He should have run but he had Commander Samuel Jackson in the sights of his machine pistol and he wasn't going to miss this opportunity. Jackson had captured Jayne, took Vera away, drugged him, made him say things he didn't want to say and kept him locked in a room for almost two days with nothing but critter food for sustenance. But worse of all he had done the same or worse to some of his crewmates and despite his disagreeable nature and his me first everyone else second or even better last or not at all attitude, Jayne Cobb was kinda growing attached to these eight people, even moon brain and her stuck up brother. Time for some payback.

The stunned audience had no time to scream or shout and Jackson stood absolutely still as Jayne emptied a full clip into him. Or he thought he did. The shouts and screams came as Jayne pressed the trigger, the dining facility turned into a place of worship for the funeral of the six moon base people filled with a horrendous din of gunfire and people's shouts as they dove for cover, Gregori grabbing his son-in-law and toppling both of them backwards out of their chairs where they had been directly behind Jackson.

Jayne was an expert shot and knew that Jackson was as good as dead at this range. But Jackson wasn't hit and nobody around him or the walls or tables or chairs were hit by anything. Jackson smiled.

"Oh shit," said Zoe in Chinese and she and Jayne both realized the same thing at the same time.

"Blanks!' said Jayne in disgust and looked at the Alliance weapon in his hands. "Thought it felt a little light!"

"Yes, Mr. Cobb, blanks," Jackson said. "None of the guards near your rooms had real bullets in their guns. But these men do."

And the ten men who were in the room and had arms now surrounded their commander and pointed their weapons at Jayne, Inara, Zoe, and River, with one covering Book for good measure. The audience waited with batted breathe for what was to come next.

"Stop this madness!" Book shouted in a commanding tone and for a second Zoe thought they would but knew in her heart they wouldn't, and was already moving before Jackson gave the order that was sure had to come next. She dropped her useless weapon and grabbed both Inara and River and dragged them to the floor with all her steely strenght.

"Kill them," Jackson ordered, without a trace of emotion.

Jayne also knew what was coming and saw the table in front of them as their only chance. He dropped his weapon even as Jackson was speaking and he grabbed the short end of the table with one of the bodies on it. With all his strength he heaved, muscles straining, brow furrowed, and just got the table up as the bullets started flying.

"Move it!" Jayne yelled through clenched teeth and Zoe was already moving herself and Inara and River back out the door as Jayne got the table higher and in front of him. It was metal, thin, but heavy enough and maybe strong enough to stop the bullets.

The fusillade from the guards came and bullets plunked into the body as it slide and then roll down the table to the floor and shouts of anguish torn through the crowd at this violation. As Jayne moved back the bullets began to strike the table, denting it but not penetrating, the sound ominous and loud as the table was hit by dozens of rounds. Inara was first out the door and a bullet just whizzed past her head as she turned a corner and lost her balance as she flung herself against the far wall, and out of the line of fire, falling in heap on the floor, heart pounding, head feeling like it was being squeezed to nothing. River landed beside the Companion with the grace of a ballerina and helped Inara up just as Zoe was at their side, more bullets flying down the corridor they had just come from. Jayne dropped the table, turned and yelled. "Run gorramnit!" and they were up and going in a flash, fear being a powerful motivator.

"After them," Jackson yelled to his men and eight of the ten took up the pursuit.

Book hadn't dropped with the rest to the floor, had stood and saw the whole thing and would have killed Jackson himself if one of his men hadn't kept a weapon on him the whole time. Now the room was silent, the pursuing shouts coming from the corridor punctuated by blasts of machine pistol fire. All began to rise. Gregori Kovalev helped up Captain Papusha who looked like he was in some distress.

"Stop them," Book pleaded as more gunfire came, followed by a scream, from a man, and Book knew that wasn't Jayne. And so did Jackson by his sudden reaction toward the noise.

"Shepherd Book, there are three indispensable people on Serenity," Jackson stated, more composed now as the sound of the battle receded. "Kaylee Frye because of her mechanical skills, Simon Tam for his medical knowledge, and River Tam because of what we believe she is. However, Miss Tam may constitute a bigger threat than I had anticipated. And Miss Frye is only useful for her knowledge of Serenity since we do have some excellent engineers on this base. The rest of you are either without necessary skills or pose a viable threat to me and my people. We have a few pilots here so Hoban Washburne is not indispensable and Reynolds, Zoe Washburne, and Cobb are a definite threat. It appears Inara Serra is now a threat also. At the moment I have not made my mind about you."

No one said a word, all looking at Jackson with a mixture of fear and hatred, and Book knew that this crowd was one step away from insurrection but something held them back. Book was about to reply, hoping to sway the crowd, when Jackson suddenly put a hand to his ear and Book noticed a small earwig comm device there.

"Yes? Good. Keep them there. I'm coming." Jackson said and then he took the two guards aside, spoke to them and one went out the opposite door and the other stood where he was, pointing his gun at Book. He was the young soldier who had asked for the service in the first place and Book could see he was struggling with pointing a weapon at a preacher.

"Shepherd Book, you may finish the service," Jackson said. "I have matters to attend to." And then Jackson left the room the way Book's four friends had scant moments before and a few moments after the commander left the room erupted into a bedlam of voices.

* * *

Bullets flew past Jayne's left arm and struck a wall as he turned once more, following Zoe and Inara who were following River, all running as fast as they could.

"Where the hell you leading us?!" he shouted but River was too busy to answer, looking for familiar marks, searching for a certain place. Jayne hadn't seen much of the base and was lost, confused, and running for his life in the heat of battle. If only he had a gun with real bullets it might be fun. He had the pistol in his belt and all that was good for was slugging someone over the head. Might do good at that, he thought. More bullets and running footsteps followed Jayne and he glanced back and saw one Alliance soldier braver than the rest, ahead of them all and Jayne knew he had his chance.

Once more River rounded a corner and as the rest did Jayne stopped and waited while the others ran on. In a second the running footsteps of the lead soldier approached and Jayne reached out and stuck a meaty arm in the way and clothes lined the soldier, the man landing hard on his back. He screamed as Jayne kicked him in crotch and then in the face, with a finally smash in the mouth with the pistol, blood spurting from his nose and mouth, teeth smashed in, all Jayne's anger in those kicks and smashes. The big merc grabbed the soldier's machine pistol and clips and would have killed him except his friends were gaining ground.

Jayne whirled and fired and only six bullets came out before he hit an empty chamber but those six bullets did the job. One grazed a soldier's leg and down he went screaming and another had his hair parted as the bullet went through his blue cap and sent it flying. He was unscathed except for the heart palpitating fear that comes with such a close call. The rest stopped, dragged their wounded friend back and someone shouted for everyone to take cover, the fear of return fire now slowing them enough for Jayne to catch up with his companions as he changed clips in the weapon.

The corridor ended abruptly and he was in a huge cavern, three times the size of the spaceship hanger and it was hot, humid and full of trees and plants and dazzling lights overhead. Inara, River and Zoe were standing panting for breath

"Where the hell…?" Zoe started to say to Jayne and then saw the machine pistol and said, "Good work."

"Just evening the odds a little," Jayne said. "Think I hit one of them. What the hell's this place?"

"Ambush terrain," River said and Jayne and Zoe exchanged looks.

"She in charge?" Jayne asked.

"She ain't wrong. Everyone look for a weapon," Zoe commanded.

"Wait!" Inara said as she caught her breath." What about Book?"

They all looked to each other and no one wanted to say it. "Shepherd's on his own," Jayne finally said and their hearts were heavy as the reality that their friend could already be dead hit them.

* * *

Book wasn't dead but he had a king sized headache. As soon as Jackson left the room the people exploded into debate, some questioning Jackson's moves, others cautioning them to be quiet, others asking Gregori to say something. The elderly scientist was too busy helping his son-in-law with his leg bandages and Doris the nurse came to aid them. The young soldier didn't know what to do and he looked around wild eyed and was on the verge of panic. Finally Book spoke and his commanding tone got everyone to settle down and listen.

"Jackson intends to kill my friends. What are we going to do about this?"

No one spoke, said a word, and Book realized they were looking at the young soldier. Book walked up to him and he stepped back.

"Don't, Shepherd."

"What's your name, son?" Book asked gently, not getting closer.

"Corporal David Hopkins. From Texas, U.S. of A., the original Alliance."

"Texas? Land of longhorn steers, oil, and the…let's see…the Dallas Cowboys."

"Sure know a lot about place you never been to."

"Oh, I'm a bit of a student of Earth's history."

"Ain't no more longhorns or oil but the Cowboys still there. Won the last Super Bowl in 2518."

"Good for them," Book said and then abruptly changed the subject. "David, you don't want to harm anyone, do you?"

"I'm a soldier."

"Son, how many have to die? Until there are none left?"

He didn't say anything, but the uncertainty was clearly in his eyes. Suddenly a woman shouted from the back of the room. "They killed some of us!"

And then the anger exploded, directed at the young soldier and Jackson. Hopkins cringed in fear, pointed his weapon at the crowd and Shepherd knew the people were on edge.

"Stop!" he shouted and once again they were silent. "Who killed who?" and he looked to Gregori Kovalev.

"Ach, it was terrible. Two of our people tried to kill Jackson. Shortly after the war, a few months after, when we discovered no order was given from Earth to fire the missiles. Jackson did it, on his own, when the Russian assault team landed."

"They were the first missiles fired," Captain Papusha added solemnly.

"You mean from the Alliance side?" Book asked, having picked up most of what happed on Earth from his conversations with Jayne while locked up.

"No," Gregori said and the shame on all their faces was now obvious. "The first either side fired. Boshey moi. We shall all burn in hell for what we have done."

And the full implications of what Jackson and what the people of the moonbase had done by association were now clear. They had started the nuclear war.

"When they saw the missiles coming, Russia launched its missiles," said Captain Papusha. "Earth Alliance HQ was frantically calling us to hit the self destruct on our missiles. Jackson claimed no such order came. Two communications officers, Smathers and Wilkins, they traced the orders in the computer systems after a few months working in secret. They realized what he had done, had lost family on Earth, we all had, and decided to kill him in his sleep. But they were not soldiers, were caught, and he put them in the airlock with no suits and left them die of suffocation while we were ordered to watch. They shouted what they knew as they were dragged to the airlock but Jackson just stood there and did not even deny it. No one has challenged him or his soldiers since."

"You mean until now," Book said and in a swift move, he grabbed the distracted Hopkins' gun, jerked it toward him and slugged the surprised young man who collapsed as Book wretched the gun from him and then took his pistol from his belt. Everyone was stunned and then began to converge on the young man as he lay on the floor, blood coming from his nose, gasping in pain. Book stood over him and waved the gun at them and they stopped, taken aback at this man of the cloth with a gun.

"Enough killing!" Book shouted. "There will be no revenge, it will only lead to more killing."

"Shepherd, step out of the way," one large man shouted.

"No," said many other voices and they shouted the man down. "He's right" many said and more than a few sat and cried and held each other. Doris helped Corporal Hopkins to a chair and looked at his nose.

They were all looking to Book now. "What do we do?' someone asked.

"Gregori, get to communications and warn Serenity," Book ordered.

"Absolutely," he said in his thick Russian accent.

"And stay safe. We still need you to send us home."

"What's next?" someone asked from the crowd, looking for a leader now that they seemed to have decided at last to do something about Jackson.

"Save my people, then ourselves."

* * *

"I ain't letting you go into a fight and leave me behind, you fuckin'….fuckin'…. BLOKE!" shouted Dora, the little blond with the big shotgun, at the huge Will Jones, her man and mate. They were in the cargo bay of Serenity and the other Australians stood back and watched as their leader got a royal tongue lashing from his woman. Mal, Simon and Kaylee were nearby getting gear ready for the moon assault, Mal thinking this might be a bit amusing if the situation weren't so darn serious.

"This kinda fight ain't no place for sheilas!' Will shouted back. "Tell her Mal!"

"Sheilas! Fuckin' hell!" Dora said before Mal could say anything and she rolled her eyes.

"What's a sheila and a bloke?" Kaylee whispered to Simon as they stood to one side prepping the spacesuits.

"Not a clue," he replied, thinking Mal made a mistake letting these…people…on the ship.

One of the other Aussie men overheard them and spoke up. "Sheila's a lass, a lady and bloke's a fella."

"Oh, a slang term," Simon said and the man nodded.

"And who was that by your side fighting all them months ya big ox!' Dora shouted louder and Mal was getting a headache.

"No sheilas!' Will shouted again and then turned to Mal. "You're leading. You tell her!"

Mal wondered whether he should get in the middle of what was obviously some kind of domestic dispute. After reaching his agreement with Will, Mal had explained how Chin and Miller had tried to kill him and take over the ship and that Jackson was behind it. Will said he was glad the British bastard and Chin got what they had coming to them.

"Traitors don't deserve any better."

Mal then explained how Jackson was keeping half his people hostage on the moon base and now it was quite clear Jackson wanted his ship and to kill him and his crew. It was mostly true, as far as Mal believed, but he left out the hard to explain parts at first, like them being from another part of the galaxy. How much of it Will bought Mal wasn't sure but the big Aussie ex-pro-wrestler said he and his gang be happy to help for the payment agreed on and a chance to go into space. Mal warned him that some may die and Will just shrugged and said they were all living on borrowed time anyway and they wanted a chance to get some payback at the Alliance for their part in the war. He left and put it to his gang and after ten minutes came back and told Mal his gang was with Serenity.

They had left Earth an hour ago, full speed for the moon on a round about path that hopefully would take them outside the visual range of the base's telescopes. All the Aussies were on board, Will not trusting the local gangs not to harm anyone left behind, so even the two pregnant ladies were on Serenity. Take off had been both thrilling and nerve racking for the Aussies, none of them having ever left Earth before, and Mal let Will sit on the bridge as they blasted off, the VTOLs burning at full power to break free of the Earth's gravitational field. Will was like a little boy asking a million questions which Wash had answered gladly. After they were in space and they got used to the artificial gravity, one by one the Aussies came to the bridge and looked in awe at their world below as Wash navigate to the North Pole, out and over the debris field and plotted their course to the Moon.

The debate in the cargo bay broke out as Mal divulged his plan to everyone. It was centered on who would be in the assault team and would have to stay on board.

Mal's plan was to fly shuttle two from the dark side of the moon and then come down on the moon base by surprise, land and enter the surface airlock with nine people in the nine spacesuits they had on board. Right now Tanya and Wash were setting the shuttle's nav computer for the journey while Fred and Christine moved out some junk to make room for nine people. The Alliance people had drawn a map of the base and Mal used it as he explained his plan, saying the first objective was the hanger so Serenity could land.

Mal and Will would lead the assault, Kaylee was needed to show the way and to open the airlock, and Simon was needed in case of casualties. Wash and Fred would stay on Serenity and fly the ship in when they had captured the underground hanger. Tanya and Christine would stay behind cause they had no experience and Mal didn't trust them this much yet, especially not since they might have to kill someone on the base they knew. Mal had no trouble with women fighting and Zoe was one of the best he had ever seen but Will had taken him aside and said he didn't want any of his women to go in the main assault. He wanted the rest of the nine to be the other five men in his group. But the women, led by Dora, were now protesting.

"The five men," said Mal with the "this or nothing" tone he had. Most definitely the pregnant ladies were not going, even in the second wave from the ship. That much all had agreed on.

"She's a woman," Dora said pointing to Kaylee, not intimidated by Mal and Mal could see why she wasn't with the way she was shouting at her man. "Why can she go and I can't?"

"Can you open that airlock?" Mal asked and she was silent. "That's why," he added.

But that wasn't stopping Dora. She pointed to one of her fellow Aussies, the one who had the injured arm Simon had looked at. "Paulie's got a hurt arm. And he's a lousy bloody shot to boot."

"True enough," said Will.

Mal looked at the man with the hurt arm and then to his doctor. "Simon?"

"Ah, it's infected, but still useful," was all he said.

"I can fight," said Paulie, a thin young black man about twenty with a goatee and a bandaged left arm. "It's just a scratch. And I ain't a lousy shot."

"Too right you are," another Aussie man said and that decided it for Mal.

"Second wave," Mal said to Paulie, not taking any chances with an injured man, especially if he was a bad shot.

"Bugger!" said Paulie in anger and Mal didn't know if was a curse directed at him or not so let it slide.

"Will, pick one of the women," Mal told the Aussie leader. "Someone who can shoot."

"Guess that's you love," he said to Dora with a sigh, clearly not liking it, but he couldn't help but smile as she dance around and up and down.

"I get to go for a space walk!" she shouted and jumped into Will's big arms.

"You fuckin' bitch!" one of the other woman said angrily. "All this moaning just so you can go out there in the black nothing? I hope you freeze your tits off!"

Dora turned on this woman and a knife flashed out of a pocket and was open in a blink of an eye.

"Take them words back or you'll never see the moon, you whore," she growled as she got in a fighting stance as the second woman pulled her own knife.

Kaylee, Mal, and Simon were surprised at this behavior, the woman on Serenity tough but never at each others throats. Jayne would have loved it, two women in a knife fight, Mal thought, as he stepped forward to stop it.

But Will stepped between them first. "Now ladies, we are guests here and got Alliance pigs a plenty to gut. You been moaning about payback since the war and now's your chance. You all wait till we're back home and can settle scores then."

"Count on it," said Dora and the woman just glared at her and then put her knife away and turned back to cleaning her weapons.

"Always like this?" Mal asked Will, who just sighed.

"Yeah. I won't let them kill each other. Just need to let off steam once in a while. Strong willed bunch. Had to be to survive. And I don't just mean physically, mate, know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I sure as hell do," Mal said and then he thought what the hell, might as well tell them the truth. They were going to find out eventually, if we survive this mad assault.

"You know how I said we were the last ship to supply the moon?"

"That was a lie," said Will without blinking an eye and he smiled at the surprised Mal. "No disrespect, Mal. But weren't no civilian spaceships on Earth. All own by companies and the military and governments."

"Is that so?" Mal said slowly, wondering just how much Will had figured out.

"Yeah. So I reckon you stole this one from somewhere after the war. But I've been dreaming of and reading about spaceships since I was a little boy and I never heard of a Firefly. And you all take to space like you was born in it and that pilot Wash knows what's what like he's been doing it all his life and Kaylee, you all place lots of value on her plenty of experience with spaceships. So what's the real truth, mate?"

Mal looked to Simon and Kaylee and then back to Will Jones and the other Aussies, all of who had been eavesdropping.

"It's a long story," Mal said and he began to speak as the Aussies listened and sat in stunned silence. After he was finished Dora said what the Aussies were all thinking.

"Fuckin' hell."

"You ain't pulling our leg, are you, Mal?' Will added after a moment of disbelief.

"It's true," said Kaylee. "All of it. We're…the travelers, least their children's, children's children."

"And you come all the way clear cross the galaxy?" asked another.

"Yes," Simon said. "And we hope to go back."

"So this Russian bloke, he got the know how to send you home?" Will asked next.

"Right. So above all he mustn't be hurt in any way," Mal told them.

"How do we know what he looks like and what about the others up there?" Will asked. "How do we know who's a good guy and a bad guy?'

Mal called Tanya to the cargo bay through the intercom and told Simon to get the medical records from the infirmary. He came back a moment later with his files. Mal took them and showed the pictures of the crew that were attached to each file.

"Zoe Washburne, Wash's wife and second in command and deadly with guns and knives. Inara Serra, ah, passenger. River Tam, passenger and Simon's sister. Jayne Cobb, mercenary and a hell of a fighter, too. Shepherd Book, a preacher and passenger, also with some skills with weapons."

"Nice bunch you got here," Will said. "Get a look at her, mates." And the Aussie men started staring at Inara's photo.

"She taken?" said one of them and then he yelled "owww" as a woman kicked him in the ass.

"You are, so don't forget it, dung head!" she said to him.

"Alright, love, take it easy, eh!"

Tanya arrived a moment later and Mal asked her if she had a photo of her father. She did, in a small case along with one of her husband. She handed out the photos and everyone had a close look.

"Listen up," Mal said in his commanding tone after the photos were returned. "Don't know what kind of fighting you're used to but this gonna be a fluid situation. There are only two rules. You do what I or Will says and you don't question anything. This ain't a town meeting were going to. You shoot to kill but you watch who you shoot. Shoot soldiers only, in them blue uniforms. Don't want any of my people or any innocents up there taking a bullet."

"Mal," came Wash's voice from the intercom. "Approaching the dark side of the moon in thirty minutes."

"That's our cue. Assault team, time to suit up."

Everyone started feeling the tension now as what they were about to do became real. Christine and Fred came down to help with the suiting up. Mal explained how the weapons wouldn't work in space and they'd have to wait till they were inside to use them. Kaylee gave everyone a crash course in spacesuit operations, told them where the oxygen monitor was, and told them above all not to panic, and she looked at Simon as she said this. He gave a weak grin and said he'd be okay.

"Not too fond of space, are you mate?" Will asked Simon, after noticing his face getting paler as Kaylee helped him with his suit.

"No, no, just…worried…about my sister," he replied, and it wasn't really a lie even though he did hate taking space walks

Will nodded, understanding. "No worries, mate. We'll get her back safe and sound."

* * *

At the moment, River was safe, but just for the moment. She and Inara had retreated to the back of the large cavern, River remembering Jason Philips telling her there was a storage shed there where they kept the chemical fertilizers and farm equipment and the lighting controls. Zoe had found a large machete stuck in a tree near some recently cut corn stalks and Jayne had the machine pistol. They took up ambush positions at the mouth of the cave and waited.

After five minutes no one came. Then suddenly three round objects were tossed in the cave and started emitting a white smoke.

"Gas," Jayne yelled and almost ran, but Zoe kept her head.

"No, its smoke! Back away!"

They moved backwards, deeper into the cavern, moving from tree to tree, plant to plant, back where the effects of the smoke would be lessened. It was hot and humid and both of them started sweating.

River and Inara were at the shed now and could see it was a two story building. Inside on the ground floor were the bags and barrels of chemicals and tools. They raced to the second floor where they found the controls for the lighting system.

"Zoe loves fighting in the dark," River said and found the switches for the lights and turned them off one by one until only the artificial moon was glowing.

The sudden semi-darkness took Zoe and Jayne by surprise and Jayne cursed but Zoe suddenly felt at home. She felt the edge of the machete and its sharpness and knew someone's blood would soon be on it. She waited while her eyes adjusted to the dark and knew she would have the element of surprise as any soldiers would need time to adjust also. She drifted sideways until she was next to Jayne and he almost shot her before he realized who it was.

"Gorramn it" he whispered fiercely. "Almost shot you."

"Get back to that shed with the others," Zoe quietly ordered him. "Protect them."

"Where you going?"

"I'm going hunting," Zoe said and she stalked off into the semi-darkness, spying the first Alliance soldier entering the cave through the smoke ahead.

* * *

Book's plan had fallen to pieces almost as soon as it began. Gregori and several others had tried to reach the communications room but some of the guards that had been laid low by River and Jayne were up now and had armed themselves with weapons with real bullets. Book had given Captain Papusha the pistol he had taken off Hopkins and was helping someone tie the soldier to a chair when the door burst open and Kovalev and his group came back with gunfire at their heels.

"Block the doors!" Book shouted and many people moved to do so as Gregori explained what happened.

"We got there but three of them were there first. They asked what I wanted and I told them I needed to speak to Serenity to get an update on the situation. But he was suspicious, this one guard, seeing me with the others, and I think now Sam told them what happened. So he called Sam and…well, here we are."

Pounding and shouting came to the doors but they didn't budge, blocked by some heavy tables and chairs. Almost everyone cringed in fear now that things had seemed to reverse themselves, The resolve of ten minutes ago was disappearing fast.

"Why did they fire at you?" Book asked Gregori after the noise subsided.

"One of us shouted 'run' and we just broke and came back. The guards shouted for us to stop and then fired but the aim was poor, into the ceiling, not directed at us. Just to frighten us. Now we are in the shit, da?

Then came a crackling noise and all looked to the ceiling, toward a speaker that was built into the ceiling. "Attention Moonbase Armstrong personnel. This is Commander Jackson." And all knew that voice without him having to declare who it was.

"It seems there is some dissent among you. I can understand your worries. But soon this situation will be resolved. Serenity will be in our hands and we will return to Earth. The early reports show that southern Australia is radiation free and can sustain life. A new beginning awaits us, with blue skies and sunsets my friends. Be patient a little longer and all our troubles will be over. Take Shepherd Book into custody and release Corporal Hopkins at once."

All now looked to Book and he could sense the shift of momentum once again toward Jackson. The advantage he and his crewmates enjoyed scant moments ago was slipping away.

"And what about the crimes Jackson has committed?" he said to the murmuring crowd of almost sixty people.

"We need a leader!" someone yelled. "How will we survive?"

"Jackson should be killed!" someone else yelled and then a fist fight broke out and suddenly chaos reigned, with people shouting for them to stop, as others got involved and as long simmering tensions and resentments boiled over. Several men broke off from the group and approached Shepherd Book. He held the machine pistol in front of him and they stopped.

Suddenly three pistol shots range out, the noise deafening in the closed room, and the fighting stopped and everyone went quiet. Captain Papusha sat in his chair and held the smoking pistol Book had given him toward the ceiling, having hit the public address speaker dead on, leaving it destroyed.

"Now the pig can no longer warp your minds," he said in disgust "Anyone wants to disagree with me, I'll kill you like a dog."

No one moved or said a word.

"Good," said Captain Papusha. "Now stop acting like cowards and idiots. We will survive but not with that pig in command. Let's make a plan."

* * *

Zoe slipped among the plants and trees in the agricultural cavern, circling around toward the left, moving like a cat, all her instincts hyper aware of all around her. She had done this many times in the war, stalking the enemy, sneaking into his trenches, his tents, and barracks, slitting throats while they slept, gutting men on guard duty. One of her specialties was to find two men asleep in a foxhole or tent and kill one of them and let the other wake up and find a dead body next to him. She would drift back to the Browncoat lines and wait for the scream as the body was discovered. Mal said she should have killed them all but psychologically it work wonders damaging Alliance morale. Too bad that couldn't win the war for them.

There was one of them now. He was in a couch, machine pistol forward, and it look like he wore some kind of night vision system on his head and held a breathing apparatus in his mouth. The smoke was still present but was dissipating. Zoe crept forward and was on him in a flash. The machete slid through his back and cut his heart in two as she clamped her free hand over his mouth. He struggled briefly as the life ebbed from his body and then he was limp. Zoe laid him down and took his machine pistol, 9 mm pistol and his night vision gear. She also found an ear wig communicator and placed it in her left ear.

"Johnson, report," came a whisper as soon as she had it in her ear. "Johnson!"

"He's dead," Zoe replied fiercely as she put on the night vision goggles. "And you're next."

Suddenly a long burst of machine pistol fire broke out to the far right and soon a second and then a third joined it. Zoe lay flat and bullets whizzed by clipping branches and trees. After a long twenty seconds or so, the fire died down.

"You missed," she whispered and then she saw them in the night vision goggles and she let loose a stream of bullets at one of them.

A scream came and he grabbed his leg yelling he was hit. The other two ran to him and starting firing to where Zoe was. Again they missed and she let them waste bullets. After a moment the firing stopped and she could see no more figures in the semi-darkness. They had retreated. Zoe made her way back to the shed.

"Coming in," she said as she removed the goggles.

"Clear," Jayne said back, his voice coming from the second floor.

Zoe found her three companions on the floor on the second floor, Jayne with his gun trained on the door. The windows in front of them had a few bullet holes.

"Anyone hurt?" she demanded and Jayne just looked at her as he got up.

"Nope," he said as he helped River and a shaken Inara up. "Having fun?"

Zoe grinned. "Just like in the war."

"I don't think this is fun at all!" said Inara, on the verge of crying or screaming or both.

"Sorry,'Nara," said Jayne. "But we gotta find a way outta here and killing them is the fastest."

"They won't make the same mistake twice," Zoe said. "They're inexperienced. Now they got their first lesson."

"What are we going to do?" Inara asked in exasperation.

"We wait for the Captain," Zoe said and explained her warning to Mal and Wash. "We got plenty of atmo in here, got food around us, water supply in the sprinklers. We can wait. It's why you picked this room, right River?"

"Yes. We can wait," she replied. "But Jackson won't. He can't have fire from two sides."

"What do you mean?" Inara asked with worry.

"Serenity is coming. And they mean to fight." River said as she looked to the ceiling of the room and all followed her gaze, thinking on their crewmates and hoping like hell they would get here and help them.

"Then we can't wait," Zoe ordered. "We have to attack now to give Serenity a chance to land. How we fixed for weapons?"

The ones River had taken from the guards were on the floor. "All blanks," she said.

"All we got is these two machine pistols, a 9mm, and the machete," Jayne said.

"It'll do," Zoe replied.

Zoe and Jayne checked the magazines on their machine pistols and then Zoe gave Inara the 9mm pistol, and handed River the machete.

River held it and smiled. "I know how to use this."

* * *

The nine members of the assault team were crowded into shuttle two as it flew from the dark side of the moon to the sun lit side. Mal and Simon were in the cockpit, Kaylee in the back, helping everyone put on and lock their helmets, and checking their air flow. Kaylee, Mal and Simon were in the green Serenity suits, while big Will was in Jayne's yellow suit. Dora and the other four Aussie men were in the silver and white Alliance suits that had been placed on Serenity when they had gone to the Earth from the moon just over a day ago.

"All set, Capt'n," Kaylee said after the last suit had been checked, hers and Simon's included. Mal's had been check before leaving Serenity and his helmet was locked. Only he and Wash could pilot the shuttles and he had to concentrate on his piloting up to the moment they landed and there would be no time for spacesuit checks once on the moon. He was flying by the nav input Wash and Tanya had uploaded into the shuttle's small nav computer, Tanya having all the moon bases' nav coordinates in a laptop.

"There it is," Mal said and everyone crowded for a look through the cockpit windows.

"Bloody hell," said Will through the helmet intercoms. "Never thought I see this place."

"Me, neither,' said Kaylee and then Mal was all business.

"Soon as we land, Kaylee de-pressurize the shuttle, then we open the door and head right for that building with the freight elevator. Will and his team in front with Kaylee, Doc you hang back. Everyone on their toes once we are inside. If it looks hostile, shoot it."

"Except our guys,' Kaylee said, getting a sense of deja vu from their assault on the Skyplex. Suddenly she felt a cold fear creep over her.

"Simon?" she said through the helmet comms and she knew everyone could hear her.

"I'm here," he said and then he was looking at her through the helmet. They hadn't even had time for a kiss.

"I…." she started but was too shy with everyone listening.

"Go on,' said Dora in a reassuring tone. "Tell him. It's easy. Hey, you big ox, I love ya."

"Ah, Dora, me love," said Will with affection. "I love you, too."

"I love you, Simon Tam," Kaylee said suddenly and thought it might be the last time she even said those words.

Simon was embarrassed but knew he had to say it. "I love you too, Kaylee Frye." And he thought he saw a tear fall from her eye in her helmet.

"Okay, okay, we all love each other. Now let's go kill some Alliance scum," said Mal as he landed the shuttle next to the building with the elevator. An instant later Kaylee hit the button to de-pressurize the shuttle, the air escaped the shuttle, and Mal slid open the door.

"Welcome to the moon," he said as he stepped off the shuttle toward the uncertainty of battle to come.


	13. Chapter 13

_Battle rages across the moon base as Mal and Jackson come to a final confrontation._

**The Return – Part 13 **

Mal's assault force moved slowly from the shuttle to the building where Kaylee had found the freight elevator. The Aussies were in awe, looking at the blackness of space, not quite believing they were actually here, on the moon. They didn't struggle much with the low gravity, the unfamiliarity with it the farthest thing from everyone's mind, but the bulky spacesuits were making it slower than Mal would have liked. All were armed with weapons, rifles, shotguns, pistols, and machine pistols, but no lasers, and Mal didn't like that either. He asked Will if his gang had ever come across any and they hadn't, Will saying that they had never seen a laser. They knew they existed but they were tightly controlled before the war and his gang had never found any. Mal just hoped like hell no one was waiting inside with a laser pointed at their heads. This would be a real short fight if so.

Kaylee led the way, carrying her big flashlight, hydrogen battery, and EVA tool belt, with Mal and Will next to her, then Dora and the other Aussie men with Simon trailing. Simon had a pistol strapped to his hip but didn't relish the idea of having to use it. Chin's death was necessary but it still didn't ease Simon's conscience over what he had done. He carried his medical bag in one hand and a large sack with all their boots and shoes in another. Mal wanted his group out of the suits as soon as possible and footwear would then be necessary. The bag didn't weight much now, but would once inside the base.

Kaylee made it to the outside airlock door on the building and then got to work opening it like she had the earlier one. Mal stood behind her while she worked, a knife in his hands, the only weapon that would be any use in the vacuum of space. In less than a minute Kaylee had the door opened.

Nothing and nobody was waiting for them and Mal suddenly felt like they had a good chance and had achieved surprise. They moved to the freight elevator in the center of the room and it was at the bottom of the shaft as they expected. When Kaylee examined the control panel for the elevator that was next to the shaft she broke radio silence with a groan.

"What's the matter?" Mal asked suddenly worried things weren't going as expected.

"Ain't no power for the elevator," she said in exasperation.

"Crikey," said Will.

"Can't you rig it like the airlock with the battery?" Mal asked, trying to get Kaylee thinking on what to do.

"Nope, Capt'n, need a direct feed into the engine. This just a control switch here."

Kaylee had said the elevator had power before but now it was off and that plan was out the window and Mal wondered if a reception committee would be waiting for them when they entered the airlock below, if they could even get to it. He should have brought some rope, gorramn it! Mal looked over the edge and could see the bottom in the beam of a flashlight he turned on. The shaft was at least sixty feet down and no way anyone could…jump!

"Simon, its one-sixth Earth gravity, right?" Mal suddenly asked his Doctor, his brain on fire with his plan.

"Yes, Mal, but…no, wait, don't do it, it's too dangerous!' Simon said but before anyone could stop him Mal leaped over the edge of the elevator shaft into the darkness.

* * *

The only plan Shepherd Book could come up with was survival. He had one soldier, Captain Papusha, but he was injured and couldn't even walk without help. Everyone else was civilian, scientists, many of them his age or older. Corporal Hopkins was tied up and the doors were blocked with tables and chairs on booth ends of the room. The bodies of the six dead had been placed along one wall, the memorial service interrupted by the chaos of the last little while. They didn't know who was outside the doors and what waited for them. They only had two weapons, Book holding the machine pistol and Papusha the 9mm pistol. One thing on their side was that everyone was calmer, the bickering among them had ceased and for the moment, once again, all were against Jackson. At least Book hoped they were. He needed intel, and there was only one place to get it. Book pulled up a chair next to Hopkins.

"Sorry about the nose," he said as a peace offering.

"Preacher's aren't supposed to hit people," he said with a glare of anger in his eyes. "Nor carry guns."

"And your commander wasn't supposed to start a nuclear war and exterminate humanity. Is he insane?"

Hopkins snorted. "Insane? No. But he did what he had to do. Don't believe what these folks are telling you. No command came from Earth to destroy the missiles. In fact, a command came to launch them."

"Liar!" shouted Gregori as he stood and approached them and everyone was instantly looking at the trio.

"You don't know. I was there when the order came when your countrymen attacked us!"

"Ach, my countrymen, you say," Gregori snorted. "Like you Americans have no blood on your hands, nor the Chinese, or British or anyone on Earth. We are all to blame, us here most of all! We don't deserve to live on Earth!"

"God will forgive you," Shepherd said and he could see some glimmer of hope in some of their eyes.

Doris the nurse was sitting next to Captain Papusha. "Our sins are too many," she said in despair.

"If you ask, God will forgive all sinners and all sins,' Book said solemnly. "Isn't it time for the healing to begin?" All were silent, guilt in their eyes.

"After all, no one here actually fired the missiles. You ask God and he will listen," Book continued, and then stood and picked up his Bible from the altar. Many people fell to their knees, crossed themselves, and Book led them in the Our Father. After it was over many felt better and some even smiled.

"Now, David, I need to know what you think Jackson will do next?" Book asked as he sat next to the soldier again.

"He will kill those in his way."

"Why is he like this?"

Gregori answered. "He has nothing in this life. His wife died many years ago. He had no children. It was why he was appointed here, no connections to Earth. He has been here the longest, almost five years."

"Five years? That seems long. Isn't this a prestigious post?"

"It was, in the past," Papusha said, a trace of pain in his voice. "He…was passed over for promotion. Some incidences in his past. Rumors but some of them were confirmed my last time on Earth. He was responsible for killing civilians in Africa during food riots. It was covered up but I met a soldier who was there. Hundreds killed when his soldiers went on a rampage. Also, Jackson was opposed to some Alliance polices, such as improved relations with Russia. I heard him once remark that the Alliance was strong enough to force Russia to give up land and resources for the world's exploding population. Just before the war he had some psychological tests, standard for all personnel on this base. I believe he was about to be relived of this command."

That was news it seemed to many and the conversation levels rose as people began discussing what Papusha said. Hopkins looked a little crestfallen, as if his hero had suddenly become a little less heroic. After a long moment he looked at Book.

"Shepherd? I got something for you. In my right front uniform pocket."

Book opened the pocket and pulled out an earwig communicator like he saw Jackson with earlier.

"It's an open channel for soldiers," Hopkins said. "You can hear what he's doing."

Book put it in his left ear and immediately heard Jackson.

"Team one stay put. Everyone else fall back to Cavern B, Cavern B," Jackson said and Shepherd could hear worry and maybe even pain in that voice. Several soldiers answered in the affirmative but Shepherd only counted four replies. What had happened out there?

"What's in cavern B?' he asked Gregori and the Russian scientist paled.

"_Boshey moi_!"

"What's wrong?" Book asked in worry.

"Cavern B was where the nuclear weapons were," Papusha answered.

"But they are all gone, right?" Book asked, hoping he was right.

"No," said Hopkins. "There's one left."

* * *

Jayne carried a small can of gasoline they had found in the shed under his left arm and his weapon in his right hand. They figured it was used to fuel some of the small digging machines in the shed. If the chance presented itself he was going to use it as a bomb. They moved to the left of the cave entrance in the darkness and all was quiet. Zoe soon food the dead body of the soldier she had killed and then they waited for a few moments to see if anyone was coming. Slowly Zoe moved to the entrance, looked down the corridor and only saw a blood trail leading away. She motioned them forward.

"Let's get to the hanger bay. Know the way?' she said to River and the teen nodded and Jayne moved out in front of her. Soon as he stuck his head around the first corner, bullets whizzed by his ear.

"Too close," he said through clenched teeth and then he said to Zoe. "Five of them I think, behind a table. I think Jackson was there, too. Cover me."

Jayne had seen them at the far end, in doorways and behind a table, Jackson with his men, armed with a pistol, and as Jayne leaped out into the corridor he heaved the gas can with all his strength toward the Alliance soldiers, firing at the same time as Zoe also stuck her gun around the corner and sprayed bullets. The din was deafening as both sides traded shots at close range. Zoe could see Jackson and fired at him but he ran after a firing a few shots from a pistol so she wasn't sure if he was hit or not. The can bounced and landed in front of the upturned table and as Jayne lay flat on the floor he hit it dead on and it exploded with a blast of flame and smoke just as a bullet grazed his upper right arm.

Screams came from the Alliance men as two of them were engulfed in flames, their bodies twisting in agony as they rolled on the floor. Zoe moved forward pumping bullets into them, firing until they stopped moving and Jayne was on his feet firing at the three who retreated down the hall.

Then in Zoe's Alliance earwig she heard Jackson, could hear pain in his voice, and believed she had hit him. "Team one stay put. Everyone else fall back to Cavern B, Cavern B." Several soldiers replied and all sounded scared.

"They're on the run," Zoe said and explained quickly what she heard. "Now's our chance to get to the hanger."

"This is too much!" said Inara, the stench of roasting flesh strong in the air, as they approached the dead men, still burning. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"This is nothing," said Zoe without a trace of remorse. "There's only two. In Serenity Valley there were almost 200,000 dead. Let's move."

With that she walked toward the dieing flames and in one quick move ran and jumped over the table, hit the floor, rolled and was up with her weapon pointed forward. No one was about. Jayne kicked the table aside and the others soon joined Zoe, all glad to be moving away from the burning dead. She spotted a blood trail on the floor.

"Someone got hit," Jayne said. "If it's Jackson let's go finish him!"

Zoe shook her head. "No, Serenity is coming and we need to secure that hanger first."

Jayne didn't say anything, but his look was enough to let them know he disagreed. Down the corridor they went and then they were at the main one running through the base. Jayne stuck his head out and back quickly and it was quiet.

"You're bleeding!" Inara said as she noticed Jayne's wound.

"Ain't got time to bleed," the big merc replied in a tough guy tone and then grimaced as Inara wrapped her silk scarf round his arm wound. "Owww"

"You got time to have it looked after," she said as she tied it tight and then took her pistol back from River.

"Which way is the hanger?" Zoe asked River and again the teen led them in the right direction. After a few more moments and with the corridor still empty, they reached the hanger bay. No one was at the control station, everything eerily silent. Suddenly they heard gunfire, not far away.

"Where's it coming from?" Inara asked.

"The airlock!" said River and then fear filled her eyes. "Simon!" And River ran and the others could only follow, knowing now where Mal had planned to enter the base.

* * *

Mal's leap took everyone by surprise. Kaylee had a chance to scream "No" and then he was gone. She snapped on her flashlight and followed him as he slowly fell.

Simon yelled, "Mal! The base has stronger gravity underground!"

"Oh, shit," Mal said in Chinese as he took in Simon's words and knew he might have made a big mistake. At first, he knew he was falling but the low gravity made it almost seem like he was under a parachute. He had taken a few jumps in combat training school, but never had the chance in actually combat. Now he fell to the elevator, pointing his flashlight down so he could judge when he had to prepare to land, but as he got about two thirds down he started feeling heavier and then his speed picked up and then in a few seconds he landed with a thud and almost fell over but he was safely down.

"Gets a bit faster at the bottom but its safe," Mal said into his comms.

"Well, the Lord hates a coward," said big Will and then he took a step and leaped over the side. As he fell the other Aussies all laughed and followed suit at intervals, letting out yells and whoops, until only Kaylee and Simon were left on top. Mal backed out of the way as Will landed heavily and then all moved to the side as they landed and others came down. Finally Mal looked up at his two crew members.

"Need you to open this door, Kaylee."

"Yeah, Capt'n, I know. Be right there." And then she looked at Simon and saw the fear in his eyes.

"Just like falling in love," she said with a grin and then stepped over the side.

"That wasn't very reassuring," Simon mumbled to himself and then dropped the shoe bag first, to the side away from where Kaylee had jumped, closed his eyes, and took the plunge.

They both landed safely, to Simon's surprise, and as they got their bearings Kaylee noticed a power switch on the elevator's control panel. She turned it on and pointed it out to Mal.

"Oh," he said in surprise. "Guess everyone didn't have to jump."

Kaylee just shook her head and got to work on the airlock. She definitely had to teach her crew more about fixing things and keeping your eyes open in the future.

Mal told everyone to pull out their weapons and get ready. Kaylee had told him this side of the airlock had a solid door but the inner one was thick plastic and see through. As soon as they entered someone would know and more than likely they had a sensor to tell them when the airlock was opened. After another moment the airlock outer door popped open and Mal and his assault team rushed inside weapons ready, anticipating a fight.

Nobody was there.

"Whew!" said Will. "Bit of a rush for sec, hey mates?"

Kaylee found the inner control panel and set the internal atmo and pressure levels. After a long, agonizingly long, thirty seconds the airlock was pressurized and Kaylee hit the door open button.

They walked through and immediately Mal ordered everyone out of the space suits. Helmets came off and then the gloves and it was just in time for them to fire weapons properly as the sound of running footsteps came and six Alliance soldiers came down the hallway.

"Fire!" Mal yelled as he shot first and hit his target in the stomach and the soldier crumpled and fell. Will was close behind Mal in firing, just missing his target as bullets flew in both directions. Yells and curses rang out as the Alliance people realized they were outnumbered and Mal's group was caught bunched together in the airlock corridor in the bulky spacesuits. Simon grabbed Kaylee and pulled her down as bullets went flying past them and one of the Aussie men dropped with a bullet in the stomach in front of their faces and groaned in agony. Simon crawled to him and started to work right away, Kaylee lying behind their bodies, her heart in her throat and she prayed like never before for God to protect her and her friends, old and new.

One more Alliance soldier dropped and then little Dora was hit in the arm and spun and fell as big Will yelled in rage. Suddenly a grenade was tossed at them and bounced once and one of the Aussies caught it in mid air and tossed it back but the grenade exploded between the two groups, sending shrapnel in both directions, with Mal's group getting the worst of it. Mal got a chunk in the left shoulder, Will got one in the leg and the Aussie who threw it had several small pieces hit his arms as he held them up to shield himself from the blast.

Everyone's ears were ringing from the explosion and Mal's team barely heard one of the Alliance men screamed in extreme agony as River slashed his back open with the machete and he dropped to the floor. More bullets plowed into two of the Alliance men from behind as Jayne and Zoe caught up to River and as the last one dropped his gun and raised his hands to surrender Jayne had to grab River from behind to keep her from cutting his head off.

"Stop, gorramn it!" Jayne shouted as he gripped River tightly in a bear hug, the machete raised to strike, the Alliance soldier wide eyed in front of her, and then her rage subsided as the deafening noise of battle was replaced by groans, screams, and curses.

"Simon!" River yelled as she sought out her brother, and then found him bent over the wounded Aussie.

"River! What are you doing?" Simon said as he saw the bloody machete in her hands and blood on her clothes.

"Saving you," was all she said as she helped Kaylee stand up.

"Get their weapons!" Mal shouted and two of the Aussie men moved forward to grab the Alliance weapons on the ground. Will rushed to Dora's side as she sat up.

"Just a scratch!' she said with a grimace. "Christ, you're bleeding, too."

"It's nothing. Doctor! Dora's been shot!" Will looked to Simon who was still tending to the wounded man with Kaylee helping.

"The most serious first," he said and it was like the Heart of Gold all over again, bodies everywhere, some dead, others in agony.

"Good work, Zoe. Report," Mal said Zoe asked as she came up to him.

"We killed a few more on the way, sir. Jackson is still in command of some men, not many. We got separated from Book, but got an idea where he is. Hanger bay isn't guarded."

"Good. Wash," he said into the comms. "Get ready to land on my signal."

"Roger that," came back the answer. "Is Zoe there?"

"Safe and sound," Mal replied. "Out."

Jayne had something to say to Mal that couldn't wait "Thanks for including me in your free the hostage plans."

"You're free now, ain't you?"

"Mal, you're bleeding!" Inara said as she rushed to his side and saw his bloody shoulder. "Simon!"

Simon looked around and knew this wasn't the place for this and noticed the door to the room where he and Kaylee had spent the first night. "Open that room there and let's get the wounded inside," he ordered and Jayne opened the door. They started moving the wounded, their side and the Alliance, accompanied by screams and groans. One Aussie was wounded badly to the stomach as was an Alliance soldier. Two other Alliance men were alive, the one with the back wound from River's machete and the prisoner. They got Simon's suit off him quickly and he set to work.

"How was the Earth?" Inara asked Kaylee as she helped Kaylee out of her spacesuit, trying to keep her mind off all the blood and the moans of the wounded.

Kaylee had a sad look. "A mess. Dead everywhere. Take long time to set it right again. What happened up here?"

"Time for chit chat later," Mal said to them as Zoe helped him get his suit off. "Give me a quick patch up, Doc. I gotta get back into the fight."

Soon all had the suits off and boots and shoes on, and Mal's shoulder was dressed and so were Will's leg and Dora's arm. The wounds weren't very deep, the spacesuits slowing the momentum of the bullets, but Simon knew that pieces of spacesuit and clothing might be in the wounds and could cause infection. But there was no time for surgery now as Mal made quick introductions to everyone and then it was time to move.

"Inara, Kaylee and River stay with Simon, lend a hand, and watch the door," Mal ordered. "Rest, follow me."

"What about him?" Will said, pointing to the prisoner.

"Can't take him with us and might be a danger to leave him behind," Mal said then got an idea. "Take your clothes off," Mal ordered the prisoner

"What?" he said in disbelief. Jayne stuck his gun in his face.

"You heard the man. Strip!"

He quickly started removing his clothes until he was stark naked, covering himself up.

"Now sit in the corner and don't move," Mal order and the man, very embarrassed, did so as Mal and the assault team, plus Jayne and Zoe, moved out the door.

Simon stopped Mal by the door. "We should get some of these people to the medical wing." Simon said and he pointed to the gut shot Aussie and Alliance soldier. "These two need operations."

"They'll have to wait till all is secure," Mal said and then he was gone before Simon could protest.

Simon did what he could, giving morphine for pain and bandages to stop the bleeding. As they worked both sides got caught up on what had happened to them, including the attempt on Mal's life. Inara put a hand on Simon's shoulder.

"You did the right thing, Simon."

"I know, just, killing is not in me, I guess."

Kaylee gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad it ain't," she said and Simon felt a hundred times better.

"So many dead, so much suffering," Inara said as Simon and Kaylee explained more about what happened on Earth. "Why did they do it to each other?"

"It was Jackson," River said and Inara explained how River thought Jackson had fired the missiles.

"He did," River said again. "And he will do it again."

Simon and Kaylee and Inara looked at each other, puzzled. "What do you mean, do it again?" Kaylee asked but River wasn't listening to her, staring at the naked soldier. She approached him with her bloody machete in her hands.

"Where's Cavern B?" she asked and the soldier stammered out directions, fearing this crazed woman who had wanted to gut him just minutes earlier. River then took the pistol from Inara and started toward the door.

"River! Stop!" Simon yelled, but she wouldn't. "Where are you going?!"

"To stop Jackson," and then she was out the door before Simon, Kaylee, or Inara could do anything. Simon went to the door and into the corridor and screamed her name as she ran down the corridor and was soon out of sight. Divided between following his sister and treating the wounded, Simon swallowed his fears and returned to the room to help save lives.

* * *

Mal's team reached the hanger a few moments later and no one was about. Mal grimaced in pain from his shoulder wound and Will had a limp. After a few moments of looking they found the controls for the hanger bay.

"Okay Wash, bring Serenity down. All is secure here." And a few minutes later the ship had landed and was below ground and the air pumped into the hanger.

As pressure and atmo stabilized Mal had the airlock opened and they rushed into the hanger bay as Serenity's ramp came down. Wash was first off the boat and into Zoe's arms. But the reunion was not as joyous as all had hoped when one of the Aussie women realized her man was not with them. It was the one Dora almost had a fight with and as tears came to her eyes Dora put an arm round her and gave her a hug.

"There, there, the Doc's with him and he's gonna be fine, ain't he Will?"

"He's a tough bugger so you hang in there and he will too," Will said and Christine volunteered to take her to see her man back at the room near the main airlock. Mal also ordered Wash and Fred to go with her and start moving the wounded, the prisoner, and the spacesuits back to Serenity. Wash grabbed the stretcher from the infirmary, took weapons for Fred and himself and moved off with Fred and Christine leading the way.

Zoe told Tanya where she thought her father, Book and the others were and Tanya led the way. Mal told Paulie and the other Aussie women to guard the hanger bay and Serenity. Will tried to get Dora to stay but after she started to protest again Mal said they had no time for this and Will gave up once again.

Dashing from cover to cover in the corridors they made their way to the dining facility after a few minutes and then Mal knocked on the door and soon they were reunited with Book, Gregori and the rest of the base personnel. Again hugs and handshakes were exchanged as everyone was happy to see their friends and family still alive, Jayne glad the Shepherd was still with them but he didn't say so. Book, Gregori and Papusha got everyone up to speed on what had happened.

"It's not good news I'm afraid, Captain," Book began after Mal asked where Jackson was. "Gregori believes Jackson is heading to where they kept the nuclear missiles and there is one left."

"What can he do with one missile?" Mal asked. "Earth already a mess as is."

"He can threaten to blow up the base," Gregori answered and that stunned them all.

"How?" Zoe asked.

"He can detonate the missile warhead, here, underground. There would be nothing left."

"Impossible," said Captain Papusha. "The safeguards prevent any explosion until it is at least 100 kilometers from the moon."

"And Jackson knows how to disable the safeguards, da?" said Gregori to his son-in-law and Papusha just nodded.

"Let's take no chances," Mal began as he thought on what to do. "Get everyone to the hanger bay and load up Serenity. Forget your luggage cause we got no time."

"My data!" Gregori said. "I need everything to send you home!"

"Okay, you come with Zoe and Jayne and me but the rest of you get to Serenity. Let's move!"

"We have some injured in the infirmary and most of my staff is still there," Doris said and Mal told two of the Aussie men to go with her and get the injured and all medical people to the hanger and on board Serenity. They took off immediately.

"What about the dead?" someone else shouted and Mal saw the bodies where the person was pointing.

Mal just sighed, understanding the need to treat the dead with reverence, having been to more funerals than he cared to remember, but this was no time for paying respects. "You all be joining them if you're still here when Jackson blows this place up! Move it!

That ended that discussion and everyone moved off toward Serenity. The dining room started to empty quickly, Mal sending Will and Dora and the other Aussies with them as protection. Mal, Jayne, Zoe, and Gregori moved off in another direction, toward his lab, down one of the corridors off the main one.

"Would he really blow up the base and all of us?" Mal asked Gregori.

"In his state of mind, who knows? He thinks we are betraying him. But he is the one who betrayed humanity."

They reached Gregori's lab and then he started cursing in Russian.

"My laptop! All the data! It's gone!" he yelled in anguish.

"Oh, boy, that ain't good, is it?" said Jayne, not quite certain why the Russian was losing his mind. Gregori threw a stream of curse words in Russian at Jayne and the big man would have probably killed him if he had understood. Then Jayne spotted his favorite gun in the world sitting on a lab table.

"Vera! What's she doing here?" He grabbed his Vera and held her like a beloved woman.

"Going to test it, had no time," Gregori answered, his mind elsewhere. "All my work for nothing!"

"Don't you have backups for the data?" Mal asked and Gregori nodded, his face brightening a bit.

"Yes, but they are in the mainframe, and it is in the control room for the missiles in Cavern B."

"Guess we're making one last stop on the way home," Mal said as Gregori led them out of the room toward Cavern B.

* * *

Wash, Fred, Christine and the Aussie woman arrived at the room where Simon was tending the wounded and after more reunions they set to work moving all the wounded, the prisoner and the spacesuits toward Serenity. The prisoner was allowed to dress again and they loaded him down with spacesuit gear. The Aussie woman cried tears over her man and Simon had to reassure her three times that he would survive once they got to Serenity's infirmary.

It took two trips to get everyone and everything and by the time they got to the ship the second time it was filling up with the base personnel and more injured from the base infirmary, incluidng a few wounded Alliance soldiers, who looked subdued from all the dirty looks people were giving them. Simon barely had time to say a greeting to Book as he raced to the bridge with Wash and got on the comms immediately and contacted Mal.

"Mal, River's gone after Jackson. We couldn't stop her."

"We'll get her. You stick with the ship and take care of the wounded and tell Wash to get ready for take off at a moment's notice."

"Mal… she sounded like she was determined to kill Jackson. I don't know what's got into her."

"You just do your job, Doc. I'll get her. I owe you that much at least."

Wash had heard what Mal had said and started preparing the ship for take off as Simon went back to the infirmary in a hurry. Inara, Doris, and Kaylee were there, getting the Aussie man ready for surgery. Simon asked Doris to stay and help and for the other nurses and interns to check on the other wounded and make sure they were comfortable and their bandages were good.

Kaylee, Book, and Inara started getting food and water for those in the cargo bay. Then Kaylee had a terrible thought and started looking for Fred. He was with Christine, trying to find places for people to sit, answering questions about Earth and what happened to Chin and Miller, looking frazzled trying to deal with so much.

"Dr. Walker!"

"Yes, Kaylee?"

"When we leave, how we going open the doors over head after the atmo is pumped out?"

He was puzzled for a second, the question never having been raised since someone was always in the control room. This time, all would leaving.

"I…don't know…someone will have to do it…and stay behind."

"Show me what to do,' Kaylee said as she walked off the ramp toward the control room, with Fred behind her with a surprised look on his face.

* * *

Cavern B was through a long tunnel that began through a set of sliding doors at the end of the main corridor. Mal's team ran down the main corridor to the far end.

"There is a sealed door with a coded panel. Fortunately I know the code,' Gregori said but when they reached the doors they were open.

"Sam would never leave them opened," he said in surprise.

"It was River," said Zoe.

"Impossible, how can she know….the codes! She is a mind reader, _da_?"

"_Da_!' said Jayne. "Let's go find her 'fore she gets hurt." And he entered the tunnel, Vera up and ready.

They careful walked down the tunnel, an incline suggesting that it went deeper into the moon. All were ready for a possible ambush. After a few minutes they heard gunfire from up ahead and ran as fast as they could. Soon they came to the closed Cavern B entrance doors and found River surrounded by three dead Alliance soldiers, the bloody machete in one hand and the 9mm in the other.

"Gorramn it girl!' Jayne said and it was said in admiration.

"Are you hurt?" Zoe asked with concern as she reached River's side.

"No," was all River said without emotion and then her eyes and mind drifted away. "Jackson is inside."

"Get back to Serenity,' Mal ordered River, not sure if liked this new side of River or not.

"You need me now more than ever," River said and Mal hesitated.

"Open the doors," Mal ordered Gregori after a moment and the scientist nodded and hit the code for these doors on the panel. They slid open and everyone went inside Cavern B.

* * *

Kaylee and Fred examined the spacesuits in the cargo bay of Serenity, Kaylee's plan coming to her mind after Fred had explained how the hanger bay controls worked. She would stay in the control room, de-pressurize the bay, open the outer doors, and then walk back into the hanger bay airlock and then the airlock of Serenity before they took off. She got on the cargo bay intercom and explained it to Wash and he approved. Now all she needed was a space suit without any bullet holes in it. The brief battle in the corridor had damaged all the suits in some small way, bullet and grenade fragment tears and nicks in air hose lines or cracked helmets, all damaged except hers and Simon's.

"Okay, suit me up," Kaylee asked Fred as she selected the same suit she had worn earlier. Kaylee took off her boots and he began to help her put on the suit.

Wash sat on the bridge, Serenity all set for take off, and all he needed was the rest of his crew and Gregori Kovalev. Mal had briefed him on the possibility of a nuclear missile going off and Wash worried on how much distance he would need to get outside the range of the blast's EMP effect. It would be underground so that would lessen it but that blast wave could go far and fry Serenity's electrics if they were still too close.

In the infirmary Simon removed the bullet from the Aussie man and was in the process of stitching him up. He still had more patients to see and it was going to be a long night, day, whatever it was now. He had lost track of time and his mind was fuzzy with lack of sleep and worry over his sister and what was to happen next.

* * *

Cavern B was almost as big as the agricultural one but there were no fruit trees or vegetable gardens in here. Instead, there were twenty long metal tubes in the center of the room, reaching to the top of the cavern and Mal guessed that this was where the missiles were placed for firing. A metal catwalk surrounded the missile tubes near the top and a long set of stairs reached up to the catwalks from close by where they stood. Off to the right was a concrete room with small windows.

"The control room," Gregori said and they moved inside. Gregori let out a cry and they could see why. There on a table was Gregori's laptop, blood on parts of it.

"It was Sam," he said in despair as he searched for the laptop hard drive. "The hard drive is gone." And then he moved to the mainframe that ran along the back wall and then he almost started crying.

"The data storage unit is gone also."

"Gorramn it," Mal cursed quietly. "Jackson's got them both."

Gregori reached for a mic on a control panel near the windows. "SAAAAAMMMM!" Gregori screamed into the mic and his voice echoed through the cavern.

"I'm here," came Jackson's voice over a speaker in the room and they could hear the pain in his words.

"Why Sam? Why did you do it?" Gregori asked in a pleading tone.

"Those fools on Earth should never have bowed down to Russia. The Alliance was more powerful and could have crushed them, forced them to join us or die. Now it is too late for all of them. And remember, who attacked first? Your countrymen did!"

"But you didn't have to fire the missiles!" Gregori screamed back.

"They would have captured them and used them on our people," Jackson gasped. "It was our only chance to strike quickly."

"Not quick enough," Gregori said quietly as some of his anger was leaving him.

Mal took the mic from Gregori. "Jackson, you know who this is?"

"Captain Reynolds. So Serenity has returned. Excellent. Now my people can go to Earth."

"Still dreaming I see. Well, wake up. Chin got what he deserved and so will you."

"Oh, Captain, I am not going to Earth. I am already dieing," he gasped. "One of your people shot me through the body and now it is too late. But I have the data storage units with all Gregori's work and you will never return to your quadrant. That will be my revenge. See I've set this last warhead to explode in fifteen minutes. Goodbye, Captain."

"Fifteen minutes!" Jayne said in fear. "Mal, there's a time to fight and a time to run and this here's running time!"

"Not without that data!" Mal shouted.

"Mal, I'd rather live on Earth than become permanent resident of this moon!" Jayne yelled back.

"Where's the girl?" Gregori said suddenly and they turned around and River was gone.

They ran out of the control room and looked and then Jayne pointed up to the catwalk.

"There!" he said and they could see River at the top moving among the missile tubes.

Jackson's mind was wide open now and River could feel his pain and fear and also his life ebbing away. The tubes were laid out in a grid pattern and the catwalk branched off like a city street pattern, allowing access to the controls and warheads of each missile. She saw Jackson in the center, sitting propped up against an open panel on the side of a missile tube. He had a pistol in his hand and blood drenched his uniform front. She slowly walked out and he saw her and pointed the gun.

"Little River Tam," he said, gasping in pain. "You can read my mind, can't you?"

"Yes, Commander, I can."

"What a miracle. So much you could have accomplished as my assistant. That was my plan for you when we returned to Earth. With your skills I would have had unlimited power."

"Why do you think I would help you?"

"You would have. To save your friends, if not voluntarily. On Earth I would have been king. Now, go while there is time, be free and rebuild my world."

"A world you destroyed."

"It was necessary. There were too many people, too many. The Russians wouldn't listen to reason, attacked us."

"You had no right to fire the missiles."

"I did what had to be done and to discuss it is moot now. Go while you have time."

"Give me the data storage units."

"Never," he said as he squeezed off a shot that went wide of River. She didn't move or flinch. "I didn't try to hit you. The next one will."

"No, it won't," said Mal and he stepped out from behind a missile tube and fired at Jackson with his trusty pistol. The commander jerked as the bullet hit his chest and then sighed as the life ebbed from his body.

"I did what I had to do," Jackson said and then was dead.

"Jeeze, Mal, you said I could do it," Jayne said in disappointment as he came up behind Mal.

"What does it matter?" Mal said to Jayne. "Dead is dead."

"Now he's at peace," said River and she looked at the others. "Time to leave."

"Not yet," said Gregori as he ran up to Jackson and started searching his pockets, finally finding his laptop hard drive, a small round, thick disk. He then spit on Jackson's body.

"Good riddance," he said and cursed him in Russian.

"Can you disarm it?" Mal asked as he looked into the missile warhead.

"No time, it would take thirty minutes minimum," Gregori said. "We run!"

* * *

As Mal, Jayne, River and a very out of breath Gregori arrived in the hanger bay, Mal got a shock seeing Kaylee in her spacesuit in the control room. As the others got aboard he entered the room.

"Little Kaylee, what in the verse are you doing? Place about to be blown to smithereens."

"Someone's got to open the hanger doors," she said. "No time to argue, Capt'n."

"We ain't leaving without you," Mal said.

"Course not. Now go!"

Mal ran through the airlock doors, closed them behind him with the touch of a button and was the last aboard Serenity. Kaylee hit the switches to de-pressurize the hanger and it took a long minute, then she opened the hanger doors.

"Come on Kaylee!" Mal yelled through the comms link in her helmet.

Kaylee left the control room and came up to the airlock and hit the button to open the door.

Nothing happened.

She hit it again and again and nothing happened. Then she realized that the airlock safety features had kicked in. The door on the other side hadn't closed completely. She looked at the floor of the airlock and something was stuck in the outer doors, a small piece of something someone dropped in their rush to board Serenity and she couldn't make out what it was and had no time to think what it could be. The outer door seal wasn't perfect and the airlock inner doors refused to open because of the danger of a vacuum breach.

"Capt'n, airlock's jammed!"

"Gorramn it! Re-pressurize the hanger!"

"No time! Just go!" she said and she thought she was going to die and suddenly thought of her father and Simon and felt all alone in the verse. But Mal wasn't done yet.

"Kaylee, get to the other airlock and get to the shuttle! You can fly it!"

"Never have!"

"No time for arguments! Go!"

Kaylee ran as fast as the bulky suit allowed. A long minute later and she was at the airlock and inside. She hit buttons and the air lock de-pressurized and she opened the outer doors and stepped on the elevator, searching the control panel frantically and then found the power button still on. She hit the up button and to her immense relief the elevator started to rise.

The shuttle was there and as Kaylee made her way to it she could see Serenity leaving the moon's hanger bay.

"Made it Capt'n," she said as she entered the shuttle and closed the door. She hit the re-pressurize button and oxygen from the shuttle's air tanks started pumping in. Kaylee sat in the pilot's seat and started up the engine and tried to remember all she ever saw Wash, Zoe, Inara and the Capt'n do in a shuttle. She could take it apart and rebuild it but wasn't sure if she could even get it off the moon. She grabbed the control column, pushed the throttle forward and was up and flying away in a second, it being much easier than she thought. She flew behind Serenity as both tried to get some distance from the moon.

"Can I come home now?" Kaylee asked and Mal laughed.

"Be waiting for you with a cup of tea," Mal said.

On the bridge of Serenity all heaved a sigh of relief. Mal, Wash, and Zoe were here with Fred at the sensors board. "Get us in position to pick her up," Mal said to Wash.

And as they spun around to find the shuttle the surface of the moon suddenly lifted and everything on the moon base disappeared in a flash of dust and rocks blowing out toward space.

"The bomb!" Wash shouted in shock. "Kaylee! Full power!"

Kaylee moved the throttle to max power and saw Serenity turn away from her and run.

"Come back!" she shouted in despair and then knew Wash couldn't, not with so many on board and she being only one.

"Wash, what the hell you doing?" Mal asked in anger.

"The EMP! We need distance!"

"But Kaylee's out there!" Zoe said and Mal suddenly understood what Wash was doing.

"Get us far away," he said to Wash in a choked voice.

The EMP wave flung out of the moon and expanded toward the two ships, Serenity burning on full power, the little shuttle so far behind. The wave hit the shuttle and suddenly it shuddered and shook and the engine sputtered and died and all the panels and lights went out and it was adrift.

Serenity just got out of range of the EMP blast wave and then Mal ordered Wash to turn and find the shuttle.

"Kaylee!" Mal yelled into the mic. "Kaylee!"

But there was no answer from Kaylee.

"She can survive this," Zoe said trying to reassure them. "She just has no power."

"If she's far enough away so she doesn't get dragged back to the moon by it's gravity," Fred said in a quiet voice and a sudden feeling of dread swept through Serenity's crew members as they realized their baby sister was out there all alone, drifting among the stars.


	14. Chapter 14

_The crew attempts to rescue Kaylee as her shuttle heads for an unexpected moon landing._

**The Return – Part 14 **

When the EMP wave hit her shuttle Kaylee had thought for a moment the verse had come to an end. The shuttle rattled and shook until she felt her brain would separated from her skull and go bouncing around inside her space helmet. After it was over Kaylee sat in the sudden darkness all alone, power gone, comms gone, and soon she'd be gone if she couldn't find a way to get the shuttle up and running again or Serenity couldn't find a way to rescue her, if Serenity had even survived the EMP hit.

"Oh, boy, what a fix," she said to herself and took a deep breath, saying a small thank you to the manufacturers of the spacesuit she was wearing for designing it to run without batteries operating the life support functions, the air supply being released as she breathed in and out. She couldn't see how much air was left on her analog wrist monitor because of the darkness. She didn't dare take her helmet off, not knowing if the shuttle had pressurized and had atmo before the EMP hit. All the panels were dark and Kaylee knew she'd be pulling out fried electrodes and burnt out connectors for days if she and the shuttle ever got back to Earth. Unfortunately, the comms in the helmet did run off a small battery located in the helmet lining and it was fried and the helmet comms were useless now. Looking out the windows Kaylee could see she was rotating, the stars moving across her vision from left to right and then the moon was suddenly there and then more rotation and sunlight came into the small shuttle. She quickly looked at her oxygen gauge on her wrist and saw she had almost ninety minutes left. That was the first good news.

Kaylee undid her seat belt and moved slowly to the back of the shuttle. There was an emergency tool kit, flashlight, and food supply in a container on the port side. With the next rotation toward the sun she had enough light to find the container and opened it. Feeling in the darkness she grabbed the flashlight and had it on in a second. The light was reassuring and Kaylee sat on the floor and thought on her next move. Above all she couldn't panic. She was the smartest mechanic in the verse as the Capt'n always said and he was out there right now, thinking up a plan to rescue her. But she had to think of one also and comms was the first thing she'd need. The helmet comms were fried but maybe she could get the shuttle comms working again.

As she sat thinking on how to do this the shuttle went through its rotation once again and Kaylee had the strangest feeling that the moon looked a little bit closer than the last time. And then something hit the shuttle with a bang and Kaylee almost dropped the flashlight. She looked out the window and rocks were sailing past the shuttle. Suddenly one hit the front window and with agonizing slowness a crack appeared, got bigger, and Kaylee just had time to grab onto something before the windows blew out and the air in the shuttle was sucked into space.

* * *

"Power, fifty percent," Mal said to the engine room and Tanya replied in the affirmative and Serenity slowed. With Kaylee gone Mal needed someone with the engines and Tanya was the best choice cause of her knowledge of spaceships.

"Tracer?" Mal said to Wash on Serenity's bridge and Wash flipped switches and then shook his head.

"No power so no signal. When the shuttle is off the tracer runs off minimum battery power but she doesn't even have that. Nothing now," Wash said in exasperation.

A tracer was installed on each shuttle incase of something like this ever happening. It was how Mal had found Saffron when she tried to turn them over to the scrapper that time but now there was no signal from Kaylee's shuttle.

"Radar useless," Fred said. "Too many rocks and moon base debris floating out there."

"Then we do it the old fashion way," Mal said. "We use our eyes. Turn on all visual scanners and run them across that debris field. She's in there somewhere."

Fred flipped switches and on the screens in front of them the debris field appeared. He turned them to maximum range. After a long minute of silence and tension Wash shouted.

"There it is!"

The image was of rocks and pieces of metal and a multitude of other objects blown into space by the nuclear explosion. The shuttle was there in the middle of this mess of debris, its bottom to them at an angle so they could partial see the sides. Slowly as it turned Zoe gasped and Mal's heart almost froze. The windows in the cockpit were gone.

"Oh, God!" said Wash. "She had her spacesuit on, right?"

"If there is a God, I hope like hell he made sure she did," said Mal and then he told Zoe to follow him.

"Inara's shuttle, sir?" Zoe asked as they went down to the lower level.

"No, the windows could come out of it too and I'd hate to have Inara screaming at me for a month cause all her stuff got sucked into space. Out the airlock, long EVA line, and I'll take her back in."

"I'll go, sir. You're wounded."

Mal stopped and glared at her. "My fault she's out there. I'm going."

Zoe knew not to disagree with him and knew it wasn't really his fault but let it go. "And the shuttle, sir? No power, so no way to fly it back. We can rigged up a tow line."

"It can stay here for all eternity long as I can get Kaylee back."

They raced to the cargo bay where Jayne, Inara and all the other base personal and Aussies were. Jayne was standing by the airlock controls and he had a look of dread on his face. He knew something terrible had gone wrong with Kaylee cause he was supposed to open the air lock when she got back on but she never came before they took off. Inara was standing next to him, almost ready to cry.

"Where is she?" she asked Mal in a choked voice as he went straight to the spacesuit locker.

"Adrift," Zoe answered. "She had to get out on the shuttle and the bomb's EMP got it."

"But she's safe, you talked to her?" Inara asked Mal with hope.

"Comms dead," Mal said curtly as he grabbed the last good spacesuit, kicked off his boots and started putting it on with Zoe helping him.

"Captain's got a plan," Zoe said reassuringly. "We're getting her back."

"Jayne," Mal said. "Get the EVA life line cables and string them together. And bring me a big piece of flat metal."

"Metal? What in the verse for?" Jayne asked in puzzlement.

"Gorramn it, Jayne, just do it. There's no time!" Mal shouted and everyone just froze and realized something wasn't quite right. A lot of them had noticed Mal getting the suit on and now curiosity was peaked.

Jayne moved off to follow Mal's orders as Zoe continued to help him suit up. Inara looked at Mal with fear and tears in her eyes.

"You bring her back, Malcolm Reynolds."

"Ain't no one going anywhere without her.'

"Simon…" Inara said, looking toward the infirmary.

"Don't say a word to him," Mal said gently, calming a bit. "He's got enough on his mind taking care of folks and need him sharp right now." Inara just nodded in agreement.

"Spot of trouble, Mal?" Will asked as he limped over as Zoe prepared to put on Mal's helmet.

"We forgot someone," Mal said to him. "And I'm getting her back."

Zoe snapped on his helmet, check the air flow, and Mal walked to the air lock. Jayne came a few moments later with the EVA cables and a thick metal cover off a supply container. It hand a handle in the center on one side. The cables were used to secure crew members who did an EVA and now Zoe and Jayne quickly connected the cables together with the clamps on the ends and then Jayne snapped the last clamp on Mal's spacesuit belt. They opened the inner airlocks doors and all the people in the cargo bay stood back, a nervous murmur going through the crowd. Jayne hooked Mal up to the safety clamp in the airlock and then handed him the cover from the supply container.

"It's a shield. Lots of rocks from the moon blast," Mal said to him and Jayne just grabbed him by the right shoulder

"You can do it," the big man said and Mal just nodded and turned to the ramp.

"Lock her up," Mal said and Zoe hit the control to close the inner doors. A second later she hit the de-pressurize button and after some ten seconds she opened the outer ramp and Mal stared out into the debris field that was approaching.

"Ten percent power, Wash," he said into the comms.

"Ten percent, roger that," Wash replied and relayed the order to Tanya in the engine room. Serenity slowed as it approached the debris field and Wash tapped the forward maneuvering thrusters until the ship was almost at a stand still. Little rocks started to bounce off the windows of the cockpit and Fred turned to Wash with wide eyes.

"No problem," Wash said with his patented sheepish grin. "Firefly's a tough old bird."

But Mal wasn't a spaceship and that's why he had the shield. The debris field loomed in front of Mal, seemingly floating in an orbit around the moon, but then Mal could see in the far distance some of the objects falling back to the moon and crashing on its surface. He knew it was now or never and kicked off with all his strength, shield in front of him, moving toward the dead shuttle, the EVA cable keeping him attached to Serenity.

* * *

Simon finished stitching the Aussie gut shot victim and ordered him carried to one of the passenger rooms. He was lifted off the table on a stretcher and then they returned with the stretcher and put the Alliance gut shot soldier on the table. Doris wiped Simon's brow and he changed rubber gloves and got to work again, completely unaware that his love was in danger.

Book was in the passenger lounge, giving comfort to the wounded, many of them asking him to say a prayer for them. The Alliance soldiers were just young men and more than one said that they were following orders and that Jackson had been in charge and made all the decisions. Book assured them that there would be no vengeance and knew he might have his work cut out for him keeping that promise. There had to be some personal connection between the soldiers and the rest of the base personnel in the long years they had spent there, thinking they were all that was left of humanity.

River had retreated to her room, trying to shut out the cries of the wounded, the fears of the base people, the chaos that reigned on the ship. Her medication was long over due and she couldn't keep all of the emotions from flooding her mind. It took some time but then she realized one person was missing, a person whose thoughts he had heard almost every day of the last eight months. River reached out and tried to contact her but she was too far away and suddenly River sensed that she might never see her friend again.

"Kaylee!" she screamed and then River collapsed on her bed and began to cry.

* * *

Kaylee thanked God that she had kept her helmet on. The shuttle was once more without atmo and now was caught in a field of debris from the moon blast. The de-pressurization had tore the flashlight from her hands and now it was gone into the black. She got to her feet and moved to the cockpit, hoping to be able to get the comms working. The moon was looking closer than before and she knew she had to do something soon or it was likely she'd crash on the surface.

The comms panel was unresponsive like the rest of the ship and Kaylee just sat in exasperation in the chair. Even with all her tools on Serenity and spare parts it'd take hours to get it working again. And Kaylee didn't have hours, minutes maybe if she was lucky. She was almost on the verge of tears and then she almost had a heart attack as a head in a space helmet appeared in the broken window right in front of her. It was her Capt'n.

"Capt'n!" she cried out and then tears did flow. He smiled and said something but she couldn't hear him. He motioned for her to climb out the window to join him. Kaylee looked at the shuttle and waved her arms around her, not wanting to lose the shuttle. He shook his head vigorously "no" and she nodded and began to climb out the window.

Mal was hanging onto the window edge for dear life with one arm, trying to protect himself from the rocks and debris with the shield, keeping the shuttle between him and the worst of it. His left shoulder throbbed in pain from his wound, the slowly rotating shuttle playing hell with his lifeline and he wondered if the wire cable was going to survive intact long enough for them to get back to the ship.

Kaylee could barely fit though the window with her spacesuit and air tank on and Mal was glad she did fit because he didn't relish the idea of moving to the side where the door was and where a lot of debris was flying past. Trying to get the door open and her out with the rotating shuttle and the chance of his lifeline getting snarled was not a good idea. Kaylee grabbed Mal's belt with one hand and had the other on the lifeline and then the two of them kicked off from the shuttle with all they had.

"Got her, Wash!" he said into the comms.

On the bridge Wash smiled and sighed and sent word to the cargo bay to expect two passengers soon. Everyone was relieved and Zoe got ready to open the airlock.

Mal and Kaylee floated through the debris and rocks, Mal's shield trying to protect them both, but it wasn't big enough. Half way to Serenity a piece of metal sliced Kaylee's air hose from her tank to her helmet and her oxygen supply vented into space.

"Capt'n!" she screamed as she felt the air getting thinner but Mal didn't hear her or knew that she was in distress. Kaylee pulled her hand from the lifeline and hit his left shoulder. Mal almost screamed in pain and he turned with anger which was quickly replaced by dread as he saw the cut air hose and his little Kaylee gasping for breath with panic in her eyes.

* * *

River stopped crying and then knew, through all the emotions of pain of the people on board, had finally sorted out what she needed to do. She walked to the infirmary and stood looking at her brother.

"Simon," she said and he looked at her, his hands bloody, his surgical apron likewise.

"River, this is no place for you."

"Kaylee needs you in the cargo bay. Bring your medical bag," was all she said and then she grabbed the stretcher from the wall mount, turned and moved to the cargo bay.

Simon was stunned for a moment and then knew that his sister wouldn't say that without good reason. Kaylee? Where was Kaylee? And then he knew something terrible had happened, he stripped off his surgical gloves and told Doris to take over, grabbed his medical kit and ran to the cargo bay. Book saw what was happening and followed Simon.

Mal had no way to move faster but screamed to Wash. "Come get us! Kaylee's losing atmo! Get the Doc to the cargo bay!"

Wash didn't even reply, hit the VTOLs and moved the ship as fast as he could without squashing his two crewmates like bugs, screaming into the intercom for Simon to get to the airlock. The cargo bay ramp was approaching fast and Mal kept looking from the airlock to Kaylee and she was gasping, her face turning blue, and Mal screamed. "Hang on! We're almost home, little Kaylee!"

Then they were there, smashing into the inner airlock doors and falling to the deck, feeling the effects of Serenity's artificial gravity. The ramp came up and Serenity plowed through the debris field, getting nicks and scrapes but suffering no permanent damage. Shuttle two drifted off toward the moon where it would crash in a crater five minutes later.

As soon as Mal knew they had atmo he started to take off Kaylee's helmet and now useless air tank, tossing both aside. She was unconscious, her skin tinged blue and he feared the worse. The inner airlock doors opened and then Jayne and Book were there and lifted Kaylee inside as Zoe helped Mal to his feet. He took off his helmet and was ashen, not believing Kaylee was going to die. He saw Simon standing there in shock and he gave him a look of pleading to save his little mechanic.

Simon almost lost his mind for a second as he saw the blue and unconscious Kaylee brought into the cargo bay, not understanding why she was wearing a spacesuit or what had happened. But there was no time for questions. Everyone was looking at him and Mal's face told him all he needed. He became a doctor and she was a patient, nothing more and he knew it was the only way to save her. She hadn't been out long but with every second the chance of brain damage grew and there was no time to remove her spacesuit. Simon knelt by her side and started mouth to mouth immediately, but she was unresponsive. He felt for a pulse at her neck but there was none.

"Inara, mouth to mouth," he ordered and Inara knelt and held back her tears as she started breathing life into Kaylee's lungs. Simon started doing hand compressions on her chest, but again after a minute there was no response. A crowd had gathered, some weeping, Will hugging Dora as they stood near, Serenity's crew not believing she was going to die, and then Simon looked to Jayne and Book. "The infirmary" he said and Jayne grabbed the stretcher and they bent, placed her on it, and picked her up as Inara and Simon kept working as Mal, River, and Zoe and many others followed.

Simon had them lay her on the bench of the infirmary as Doris was still working on the wounded soldier on the examining table. He took his heaviest scissors and cut open the upper part of Kaylee's spacesuit, grabbed the electric shock panels of the defibrillator and charged them.

"Clear!" he shouted and hit Kaylee with the charge. She jerked and then was still. Simon checked for a pulse. None. He charged and hit her again. Nothing. Inara started crying.

"Oh, merciful Buddha, save her!" and Mal put his arms around her, holding her tight.

Simon almost cracked when she said that but kept his head. One last thing. He grabbed the adrenal needle kit from the drawer, ripped open the package and drove the needle straight into Kaylee's heart and hit the plunger.

Kaylee was far away from them all, back home where she longed to be, walking in a green field on Taos with her mother, holding hands and chatting, telling her about this wonderful doctor she had met and then her mother stopped, held both her hands and said, "Kaylee, go back to him."

"But I want to stay with you," Kaylee said, a puzzled look on her face.

"So do I. But it's not your time. Go back. Simon needs you. Your father needs you. And you need them."

"Am I dead?'

"Not yet, not for a long time. You will get married and have many babies. Your time will come as it does to all of us, but not now, little Kaylee, not now."

And then her mother hugged her as Kaylee felt something sharp enter her chest and she gasped and cried out "Momma!" as her mother faded from her eyes

The adrenaline went straight into her heart and for the heart it was like a shot of pure energy. It beat once, and then again and then the adrenaline was rushing through the body, to the brain and the organs. Kaylee's body reacted instantly, her eyes flying open and the color returning to her face. She gasped and her lungs filled and in the next instance she cried out "Momma" and then Simon got an oxygen mask on her face as tears fell from his eyes. He pulled the needle from her chest and tossed it aside. Inara buried her face in Mal's chest and he hugged her tight as the tears came.

"Thank you, Simon," Mal said and then even a few tears fell from his eyes. Book crossed himself and then hugged a crying River with one arm and a misty-eyed Zoe with the other and Jayne turned away as even his eyes watered. He went to the cargo bay and told everyone she was alright and an immense sigh of relief and gratitude flowed through the mass.

Kaylee blinked and could see Simon standing over her, crying, and something was on her face and she was in a spacesuit. Then she remembered she was in the shuttle and the Capt'n had rescued her but then her airline was cut and she was gasping, choking, and all went black before her eyes. She moved the air mask away and then moved her hand up and touched Simon's face.

"Don't cry,' she said in a weak voice. "I'm here."

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak as he kissed her lips and stroked her hair. Kaylee's head then turned and she could see Doris working on the Alliance soldier, and even the nurse's eyes were damp.

"Go to work,' Kaylee whispered to Simon. "Folks need you." And he said yes, kissed her again, and replaced the air mask and turned to help Doris.

* * *

Inara and River stayed by Kaylee's side and refused to leave so Mal let them. Zoe and Jayne got back to sorting out the new passengers, trying to find places for everyone to rest, and bringing more water and food to the cargo bay. Book continued his work among the wounded, pausing to look at Simon in the infirmary, marveling at how the man had maintained his composure while saving the woman he loved, how he kept his cool as he continued repairing the broken bodies from the moon battle. Book had loved once, in the distant past, and thought he would lose his mind if he had ever had to face what Simon had faced just now.

After getting out of the spacesuit Mal went to the bridge and ordered Wash to take it slow to Earth, wanting to land at Melbourne when it was daylight. Wash had sat on the bridge, moving Serenity away from the moon while Kaylee was being looked after and didn't know all was well till Jayne had called him from the cargo bay intercom and Wash said a silent thank you to the stars. Mal told Fred to get some sleep and after the scientist was gone Mal slumped in the co-pilot's chair. Wash took one look at him and the strain of the last few days was clearly showing.

"Close one," was all Wash said.

"Too close," Mal said, not wanting to think on how he'd feel if they had lost Kaylee.

"Simon came through."

"I knew he would. Not for me or you or anyone else, but for her."

"That's all that matters," Wash replied as he made a course adjustment.

They were silent for a while and then the intercom came on. It was Simon.

"Captain, your turn on the operating table," he said in a weary voice.

Mal replied he'd be there in a minute. He got up, felt some pain in his shoulder and grimaced, and then he paused for a minute, looked at his pilot. "If she had died, Wash, I would have taken every Alliance soldier on the boat and thrown them out the airlock."

Then he walked off the bridge leaving a shocked Wash to just stare out into the black.

* * *

Simon had worked on through the hours, treating the final wounded person just an hour before they landed. He was exhausted from the stress and the shock of all that had happened, more so from almost losing Kaylee than anything else. She had gotten up from the infirmary bench after an hour breathing with the oxygen mask on and Inara and River helped take off the spacesuit and then took her to her bunk. All the passenger rooms were filled with wounded and people were sleeping all over the ship, wherever they could lay down their heads. Simon checked the progress of his patients and then Doris told him to get some rest; she would stay up and call him if needed. He thanked her and the rest of the base medical staff and they all shook his hand and said he did a wonderful job. Simon went upstairs and there was only person he wanted to see.

Kaylee was sleeping when Simon entered her bunk, the lights were on low, and he just stared at her, thanking God for helping him remain calm when he had to think clearly. After a few moments she stirred and awoke.

"Hey," she said sleepily and he came to her side, sitting on the bed and held her hand.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Landed yet?"

"Almost."

She started to get up. "Need to get to the engine room."

"No, no, Tanya's there, you need to rest, Captain and Doctor's orders," Simon said gently as he put his hands on her shoulders. She stared at him for a long moment.

"Simon, I think I died."

He didn't know what to say, stunned at this admission. He had read of people having near death experiences, and the literature was extensive on the subject, but he had never met one and now his patient and love was telling him she had died.

"How do you…what happened?"

"I saw my mother. I told you she died about three years ago from diabetes."

"Yes, I remember." When Simon had done his medical files for everyone he had asked about family illnesses and Kaylee had told him how her mother had died.

"We were walking through a field on Taos and she told me it wasn't my time. I had to come back. And then I felt the needle enter my chest and I woke up."

"It's possible you had a near death experience, Kaylee."

"I don't think I'm afraid to die anymore. It was…nice."

"Not for us," he said, the emotion clear in his voice and she hugged him and kissed him as the tears came again, and they both re-affirmed their love for each other.

"That's twice you saved my life," she said after they calmed down. "I owe you big time. Can think of all kinds of nice and naughty ways to pay my debt."

Simon smiled despite all that had happened. She was still a vibrant, healthy sexy woman that drove him mad with desire. "And I expect to collect. But now…I need the sleep of a lifetime." She helped him take his clothes off and washed his hands and face and then he lay down and she kissed Simon, took off her clothes and lay next to him and they both drifted off to sleep, holding each other tight.

* * *

Serenity landed at Melbourne's airport as day was breaking. Mal had had a few hours sleep and as soon as they landed ordered Wash and Tanya to bed. Wash needed no more encouragement and found Zoe waiting for him in bed with a grin on and nothing else. Exhausted as they both were, the sense of being alive was so powerful they let their desires overcome common sense and soon had one more reason to be so tired as they drifted off to sleep.

The civilians on the ship were ecstatic to see Earth again and Mal opened the cargo bay and allowed everyone to have a breath of fresh air for the first time in years. Their emotions overwhelmed some of them and they fell to their knees and kissed the concrete runway and some even cried. This was soon tempered by the desolation of the city and the dead bodies that were in heaps everywhere. Mal knew it would be a long road for many of them to adjust to their new reality.

Mal let everyone rest through the day, making sure no one wandered too far off, and later in the afternoon got all the senior people together and held a meeting in the dining room. All of Serenity's crew, Gregori, Captain Papusha, Christine, Tanya, Fred, Will, and Dora were all present. When Kaylee entered the room from her bunk after a long rest Inara couldn't help but hug her and then hug Simon and a few tears were shed. When everyone was settled, either sitting or standing, Mal called the meeting to order.

"Time to decide on the future," Mal said. "We got to make some decisions on where everyone is gonna live, about food and water, and about medical facilities. It ain't gonna be easy. According to Will the city is divided up by gangs."

"Some right vicious buggers out there," Will said.

"Maybe we ought to move," Fred suggested.

"Where to?" said Gregori with a shrugged. "This place is the safest from the radiation. We must stay here for now"

No one contradicted him so Mal moved to the next point. "I got a cargo load full of guns and will hand some of them over to you for protection and even teach you how to use them. But I think it would be better if we try to make some kind of deal with all the gangs. Will, what do you think?"

"Don't know, mate. Lots of little kings not like to listen to likes of outsiders."

"They'd listen to you. Said you was a famous wrestler before the war. Everyone knows you, right?"

"Too right they do," said Dora, beaming at her man.

"They'll want something in payment," said Will thoughtfully.

"Knowledge," said Simon. "That's your payment. We have the knowledge to help get the city on its feet again, at least better than it is now."

"Life be easier if the lights was on and the water was flowing,' said Will. "I'll see if I can call a meeting and make some kind of arraignment. All I can promise."

"Good enough," Mal said. "Next, sending us home."

All looked to Gregori Kovalev. "We need to modify Serenity's engine. It could take a few days, maybe a week or more, a month at the most. I have all the specifications. We just need the material and the tools."

"You tell Kaylee what you need and get to work on that," Mal said.

"Hold on a minute," said Will in a loud voice as he stood up, balancing himself with a hand on the table because of his wounded leg. "You all ain't leaving till a debt is paid! Me and mine bled for you lot!"

"Too fuckin' right!" said Dora with fire.

"Will, everyone here is grateful for all the help you gave. Of course, we'll pay our debt," Mal said calmly. "No one's leaving yet."

"Well, I think I'd like my payment as soon as possible, before I go off making deals with other gangs. Has to know I can trust you lot."

Mal could see Jayne and Zoe getting a bit steamed and needed to calm this situation. "Soon as Kaylee and Gregori examine the engine we'll get a group together to go look over your spaceship."

Will calmed down and then sat down. "Sorry, mate, just like things on the up and up, see?"

"No worries. Kaylee, think you can handle both jobs, with a little help from the moonbase people?"

"Won't know till I know what needs to be done, Capt'n," she replied.

Gregori stood. "Why wait? Time waits for no man, or woman. Let's examine the engine," Then Kaylee and he and Tanya went off to the engine room.

"He know what he's doing?" Mal said to Papusha after they had left.

"He is a brilliant man, but a little excitable at times. If he says it will work, he can do it. That ship, the Romanov, it wasn't made for that wormhole machine. It was a weak, short range transport, damaged in the battle. This ship, this ship is strong and has a good engine. It will work."

Mal hoped so and brought up the next item, a vital one for the people staying behind. "We need food but most of the food supplies are controlled by the gangs."

"No they ain't," blurted out Dora and Will gave her a look and Mal thought they were trying to hide something.

"Tell him!" Dora shouted at Will.

"Ain't part of the deal!" Will shouted back.

"Can make the deal sweeter," Mal said to Will and the Aussie thought a moment before speaking.

"I'll let you in on a secret. There's a military underground bunker just north of the city, some place government bigwigs supposed to hide in case of war. We suspects it's chock-a-block full of goodies but the doors is three feet thick and we tried blasting them but no good. Maybe you lot of brains here can figure a way in. My bunch wants fifty percent."

"Like that's gonna happen," Jayne said with a grunt.

Mal thought for the thousandth time that Jayne needed to be left home when any negotiating was to be done. Will didn't seem to even care about Jayne's remarks, looking at Mal intently, and Mal knew that Will knew who made the decisions around here. He sure learned a lot in two years, Mal thought before speaking. Guess that's what survive or die does for the survivors. "That's a lot of swag for small piece of info. Twenty percent and first pick of the food, if there is any."

Will though a moment. "Forty percent, first pick of the grub and weapons and other gear and its there all right, mate."

"Thirty percent, first pick of everything and I'll have Kaylee and Wash teach you guys everything about spaceships you'll ever need to know."

Will's eyes lit up. "I reckon I could use a few piloting lessons once me spaceship is set right. Deal!"

After that Will told them there were a few apartment blocks nearby in his territory and they could set up living quarters there for now. Some of the moon base people went with Will and his gang as they set out to check their territory and the apartments.

The next week was spent doing all the odds and ends that were needed to make this section of Melbourne a home for the moonbase people. Shepherd Book began doing services for the many dead and they set to collecting bodies and burning the remains almost every night. Simon said that after two years the bodies should have decayed enough so they posed no threat of disease but not all the bodies they found were just bones. Many were in apartments and in other buildings and had mummified to some extent. They found quite a few people in their beds, knowing they were dieing of rad sickness and waiting for the end. Book took charge of this macabre duty and said prayers over all they collect before the funeral pyres were lit.

Will led Serenity to the underground bunker north of the city and they found the doors locked with a timing device and combination lock, like a bank vault. Kaylee and one of the engineers from the moon worked on it for a day before figuring it out and they had it open. Inside was a mass of canned and packaged food, batteries unaffected by the EMP, weapons, water supplies, and some intact comms gear. They loaded up Serenity and took three trips and on the last trip a neighboring gang came near enough for Will to have a talk with the leader. After they handed over some of the food and weapons, the leader agreed to spread the word that Will wanted a meeting with all the gangs.

The spaceship Will had found was crashed in a residential area after it had fallen from the sky when the EMP had fried its electrics. It only needed battery power to get the radon accelerator core engine spinning to generate power for it and Kaylee had that done in less than a day. But the outside had a lot of dents and rents from its crash and to make it space worthy she told Will all these would have to be repaired. Muscle power and welding torches were required and Kaylee instructed them in what to do and Jayne let a hand as they got to work making the ship space worthy.

Meanwhile Kaylee and Tanya were building the pieces to modify Serenity's engine for their trip home under Gregori's supervision. The days were long for everyone with so much to do, but for Kaylee more than any other. The moonbase engineers got some of the trucks and cars running and they set to work clearing the streets nearby of vehicles. The main city water station was found and they set to work making it run again but it would take some time. The scientists tested the nearby water sources an found they were safe enough for consumption. Simon found a clinic in Will's territory and set up a hospital there and all the wounded on Serenity were moved over. None had died but some still required long term care. They searched all the drugstores throughout Will's territory and brought all the medical supplies they could to the clinic.

After much argument and discussion, the Melbourne gang leaders agreed to allow the moonbase people to stay as long as they could get the lights on and the water running. They also agreed to bring what medical supplies they could to Simon's clinic and bring what sick and injured they had to there. A lot of arguing was spent over the dwindling food supplies until Book told them that God provided all the food they'd ever need if they took to planting, fishing, and hunting again. There weren't many farmers, fishermen, or hunters in the bunch but the agricultural people from the moon had the know how. They just needed the land and there was plenty of that outside the city and the Australians also knew that some farms in the countryside had already started planting again. The gang leaders wouldn't agree to let Will be the main leader but a cease fire was called as everyone saw the sense of trying to rebuild their civilization. But each leader still controlled his territory, and there was a lot of mistrust among them. Mal felt like it was a start if not a very good one.

* * *

One evening about two weeks after they landed back on Earth, Mal entered the engine room on Serenity and didn't even recognize it.

"What in the verse…?" he said to Kaylee as she sat on the floor, pondering some piece of gear in her hands. Kaylee didn't even look up at him, so engrossed she was in her work and Tanya came out from the other side of the engine, wearing one of Kaylee's overalls and was just as grease smudged as his mechanic.

"Good morning, Captain. Your 'boat" is almost ready," Tanya announced.

"Hey, Capt'n," Kaylee said from the floor, still pondering the whatever it was she had in her hands. "Simon back yet?"

"Ah, just had word he's gonna be late. Seems Dora's in the family way now too and he's examining her."

"That's real shiny. Babies is nice."

"Yeah," he said and then turned to Tanya. "What do you mean, 'ready'? It's a …mess!"

"No, she ain't," Kaylee said indignantly as she rose from the floor. "See the radon flow for the full burn phase is passed through this induction supercharger and this accelerates the ship to just below the speed of light. As we approach light speed the nuclear core of the engine reaches critical mass but not enough to blow her up and…."

Kaylee and Tanya explained and explained and Mal was lost and his head hurt.

"Enough! No more physics and space…whatever! Will it work?"

"Da," said Gregori from behind him as he stood in the engine room dorrway. "But we need to talk about when you want to go to."

"As soon as possible," Mal said. "Got a customer waiting for these guns on Greenleaf. Course, be two years late I guess. Bet he's might sore now."

"No, Captain, you misunderstood me. I said "when you want to go to" meaning 'when" as in what time you want me to send you to. Let's talk."

They moved to the dinning room where Zoe and Wash were preparing dinner. Mal called Jayne, Inara, and River to the dining room but Simon and Book were still out doing their jobs. After everyone was there Mal looked to Gregori.

"You mean to send us back to June 2518, right?"

"Exactly. We have the precise time when Serenity entered the wormhole in your quadrant."

"Is it possible?" Kaylee asked with hope, thinking on her father's birthday and the horrible thought that he might believe she was dead.

"Theoretically, yes," said Gregori. "But actually, only you will know when you arrive on the other side."

"But father…what if they meet…themselves."

"What in the verse are you on about?" Jayne exclaimed to Tanya. "Can't meet ourselves. That's just…crazy!"

"No, it isn't,' said River quietly and almost no one heard her except Kaylee who was sitting nearby.

"How can we meet ourselves?" Kaylee asked, getting a worried feeling cause River was never wrong.

Gregori sighed. "I have all the navigation data from your ship so sending you to the exact spot you left your galaxy to ours is possible. But if I am two minutes too soon you will meet Serenity and yourselves and…nobody knows what will happen."

"Then send us to another spot, or later than the wormhole, say a day or two," said Wash as if it were so easy to do so.

"Yes, of course, that is possible, but again, there will be two Serenity's in the universe and two of each of you, one that came through the wormhole to here, and one I will send back to 2518."

"Just send us back in this time, 2520 then," Mal said. "Avoid all the fuss."

"It is possible, but then there is the broken timeline theory to contend with," Gregori said with worry.

"I'm getting a headache," said Jayne in exasperation. "Too many theories."

"I better explain," said Tanya. "There is a theory that all our lives have already been set in stone, that all you do has been laid out for you. "Predestiny" some call it, "fate" also. If we send you back to 2520, the year it is here on Earth and we believe in your quadrant, than what happened to those two years of your life? All of the things you were supposed to have done, the people you were supposed to have interacted with? Some of you may have died but are now alive. Some of you may have married and had children or left the ship or the ship may have been destroyed with all of you. Such big changes in your lives are but small changes in the universe. Yet such small changes from nine people and one small spaceship could reverberate through time and upset the cosmic balance. Some theories suggest the universe will be destroyed. A cosmic flux in the time space field that cannot be accounted for. Time travel has just been a theory…until you showed up here."

"But what about that stuff Simon said," Mal began. "That maybe the count of time is wrong in our end and it's actually the same time."

"Then we have no worries," said Gregori. But he shook his head. "But I believe Dr. Tam also told Tanya that the count of time since leaving Earth was recorded very accurately by the travelers using atomic clocks. I do believe you traveled two years into the future."

Wash spoke up next. "Can you send us back so precisely that we will be at the exact place where we first entered the wormhole?"

Gregori and Tanya looked at each other, and she slowly nodded. "The calculations would have to be so precise…we'd need a super computer to account for billions of variables. The chances of making it are infinitesimal."

"And what would happen to us if we don't?" Inara asked.

"We could rip a hole in the time space fabric and be sent off to…who knows," said River.

"I vote for staying here," said Jayne and more than one crew member was thinking the same thing.

"We don't belong here. It's not supposed to happen this way,' said River and that unsettled everyone's already worried dispositions.

"Moon brain's going off again," Jayne said grumpily.

"Stop it!" Kaylee said sharply to him as she put a protective arm around River. But River just smiled at Jayne and the big merc got that creepy feeling again that she was reading his mind.

"I might just leave you here at that Jayne," Mal said with a trace of anger and irritation and then he turned to River. "What's not supposed to happen?'

"Us, being here, helping them. It feels…out of place, not like it should be. We don't belong here. Maybe we've already caused a disruption of the universe."

"And that, I'm afraid," said Gregori. "May also be true. By your very presence you have altered Earth's history. You rescued us from the moon, brought these experts to a place that desperately needs them, have begun a peace process among the Melbourne ruffians. Of course, all this may have taken place eventually, but it was highly unlikely. None of this would have happen if you weren't here. We must send you back to the exact time you left, no matter what the risk. My hope is, that when you arrive, the balance will be restored and all of this would never have happened and you would go on with your lives as they are supposed to be."

"You mean…we'd forget all this?" Zoe asked in wonder.

"If it never happened, then there is nothing to forget,' said Tanya.

"Now that's nuttier than anything else said here yet and that's saying a lot!" Jayne spouted.

"I don't wanna forget," said Kaylee, thinking on what she and Simon had now. "Not the good parts anyways."

"But what about you and your people?" Inara asked the two scientists.

Tanya just sighed. "We would be on the moon still, Jackson would be alive, and perhaps we would never leave."

No one said a word for a long moment as this sunk in.

"Capt'n?" Kaylee said and all looked at Mal. "What're we gonna do?"

Mal looked around the table, seeing the fear and worry in all their faces, knowing that all that was said was just theories. Malcolm Reynolds had his own theory, and that was to keep flying and keep safe. If staying here meant the verse would be ripped to pieces, then that was not an option since it certainly wasn't safe for his ship, his crew or anyone else in the verse. It all sounded crazy but they were messing with time, which was just a human perspective of changing events, but what if they were right? What if none of this was supposed to happen? What if Inara was supposed to leave Serenity, what if Kaylee and Simon were never supposed to get together, what if someone was supposed to die, what if the ship was supposed to be destroyed? He wished like hell Book was here now, Mal needing his sage advice more than ever. But Mal also felt the preacher would say exactly what he knew had to be done. They were all looking at him, waiting for his decision.

"Let's get ready to go home."


	15. Chapter 15

_A party is held and goodbyes are made as Serenity prepares to leave Earth. _

**The Return – Part 15 **

"It sounds…unbelievable," was all the Shepherd could say after Mal told him about their chances of getting home at the exact place and time as they had left their quadrant. Simon and Book had returned late to Serenity, both with duties occupying much of their time away from ship, but they still bunked on board and Kaylee would have it no other way for Simon and neither would Mal for all the crew. Despite their friendship with Will's gang there were other people in Melbourne who might not be so kind and Mal ordered everyone of his crew back on board ship every night. Will's people provided armed escorts for moving about the city, especially for Simon, as he was the only fully trained doctor alive on Earth as far as they knew. Now the two men who had been absent from the meeting sat at the dining table eating a late supper as Mal, River, and Kaylee sat with them and tried to explain all Tanya and Gregori had said about time travel.

"It makes the head swim, doesn't it?" Simon said as he barely lifted a spoonful of soup to his mouth. He was exhausted, Kaylee could see, and she decided to put an end to this meeting so her man could get some rest.

"Time for bed, mister," she said in a commanding tone and Mal and Book looked at each other with grins.

"My doctor," was all Simon could mumble as he stood and Kaylee led him away toward her bunk.

"He works too hard,'' River said after they had left.

"Lots to do," Mal replied. "And more to do yet. It's time for getting a rest. I'm gonna lock up the boat." Mal put his coffee cup in the sink and headed aft, leaving Book and River alone.

"Do you believe, Shepherd?" River asked him and he paused before answering, wondering what she was getting at.

"Believe? I believe in God, if that's what you are asking. Did we time travel? No, I don't believe in that. Time is relative to the observer. It does not exist except in our minds as a reference point in order to make our lives more organized. We cannot "time travel" anymore than a pig can fly. We are here now, and we exist here and now. This wormhole has brought us here faster than we could have normally, but we are here. The discrepancy in Serenity's clocks and the clocks in this area of the quadrant is just that, a discrepancy. We have been here, now almost one month? Then that is how much "time" has passed in our quadrant while we are here. Did we upset the comic balance of the universe by coming here and changing the fate of the moonbase people and of Earth? Well, to believe that means that we must believe in a higher order of existence, that the universe has such a balance that can be upset in the first place."

"Is it your God?" River asked a bit skeptically and Shepherd knew she took the Bible and religion as literal, which was not the best way to understand any religion.

"Perhaps," Shepherd replied. "But God is also relative to what each person believes. If you do not believe in God, than he doesn't exist. I know you have doubts about his existence and that is your way."

"I don't doubt you believe it Shepherd, but science tells me it's impossible."

"Science does tell us so. But religion has nothing to do with science and everything to do with faith. Our bodies are born, we exist, and then we die. After that our subconscious rests in whatever place we believe in. I believe in Heaven and Hell. For a long time River, I must confess, I had one foot in Hell. But I have seen the correct path that I strayed from and now I have one foot in Heaven. Or so I believe."

Kaylee had been standing in the fore hall doorway and heard this last. "Shepherd, I believe, too." And she came in and sat down and told Book and River what had happened to her when she had almost died.

"Then that is what awaits you Kaylee, a lovely field and your mother with open arms. This is your Heaven."

"It was so…nice…I…didn't want to come back." And she cast her eyes away from them when she said this.

"There is no shame here Kaylee," Book said as he laid a hand on her arm. "If I could see all those I loved who have gone on than I would be awfully tempted not to return to this life."

"She said I had to come back because people needed me. Simon. My father. They need me."

"We all need you, Kaylee," River said softly. "You're going to take us home, where we belong. And that's what I believe." After she said this River rose and turned and walked out of the room.

"She's right," said Kaylee as she stood. "We don't belong here. Night, Shepherd."

Book said goodnight and for a long time sat and thought about what they had talked on. He did believe in pre-destiny and their pre-destiny had been to come to this moon and save these people and set the Earth on a path of recovery. And now it was time to go home were they did belong, and he agreed one hundred percent with River and Kaylee on that. Time and God and religions were products of man's mind. But the physical realities of the verse were not. Getting home was going to be hard and Book would say a prayer for all of them before Serenity left.

* * *

The next day Gregori learned of a super computer in the basement of a university in a neighboring gang's territory. After some negotiations in which more food and weapons were traded, permission was given to work with the computer. A lot of electricity would be needed for it and after two more days a local generator was fired up. It was a hydrogen cell system and required minimum raw materials to produce electricity. Once the juice was flowing, Gregori and Tanya got the super computer up and running and began make the billions of calculations needed to send Serenity home to the exact time and place they had left their quadrant. That night, in the buildings near the university, electric lights shone again in Melbourne.

Meanwhile Will's spaceship was deemed flight worthy by Kaylee and Tanya. Wash, Tanya, and Captain Papusha took Will aloft for its first test flight. All went well to the relief of everyone and Will took his first inter atmo flight lessons. Papusha landed the ship near Serenity at the airport and Kaylee began to do the finally checks before the ship could break atmo. Later that afternoon Will, Papusha and Tanya took it to the upper atmosphere and got into space and a low orbit around the Earth. After they landed Will was like a kid with new toy. He immediately christened the ship Dora and all agreed it was a shiny name, most of all his little blond firecracker of a girlfriend.

On the same day the water station was made fully operational and for first time in two years water flowed though the pipes of Melbourne. The engineers immediately got to work on the sewage treatment system next. Outside the city the agricultural scientists reported they had successfully planted the first crops of wheat, barely, corn, and tomatoes, getting the seeds from the few farmers they found by bartering some coffee, tea, sugar, and alcohol they had found in Melbourne.

Inara had kept herself busy helping Book with taking care of the dead, also spending some days at the clinic helping Simon. Rumors went around of her true profession and she had a few offers from some of the elderly scientists from the moon base and even from one of Will's gang but she politely turned them down. Mal and Inara were back to their old ways, jabbing and sparing verbally and Serenity's crew found it all amusing and wishing the two would just get over whatever it was that was preventing them from seeing they were crazy about each other.

River and Jayne also helped wherever they could and Jayne took it upon himself to train some of the moonbase people in weapons use. Christine took a liking to him and Jayne was late getting back to Serenity many nights and then one night didn't return at all. The next morning when he did show up Mal sat him down and asked if he was crazy, getting involved with one of these people since he and she both knew they were leaving soon. Jayne said it was only about sex and nothing else and added that Mal himself might try it out once in a while.

* * *

And so Serenity's crew worked through the finally days on Earth until it was soon time to say good bye. Mal decided that the best way to end this adventure was with a fond farewell at a mighty big shindig. A dance hall was located in Will's territory and Kaylee repaired its sound system. Some batteries were brought in and soon the sounds of music were flowing through the speakers. All the booze that could be rustled up was brought to the hall and everyone got to work making decorations and whipping up dishes from the canned and packaged goods they had recovered and the little fresh food they had remaining from Serenity.

About one hundred people, Serenity's crew, the moonbase people, and Will's gang, crowded into the dance hall on a Saturday night in late August 2520. Even the soldiers who had opposed them on the moonbase were here and Gregori had granted then amnesty from any wrong doing. Mal didn't quite agree with that but they were his people so Mal didn't feel he was in a position to contradict the Russian scientist. There were tables set up and a space given over for dancing and on one wall was a buffet and all the booze. They even managed to make some ice in Serenity's freezer and all enjoyed cool cocktails and the self cooling beer. Jayne and Will began egging each other on who could drink who under the table and soon they were both feeling just fine. As music played Gregori Kovalev extended a hand to Inara and they danced the first dance and soon were joined by many couples, Wash and Zoe, Simon and Kaylee, River and Dr. Philips, Jayne and Christine, and Tanya and her husband Captain Papusha, whose leg was finally healing properly. The music was a mix of classical, pop, and rock tunes and many songs that Serenity's crew had never heard before. Everyone was having a wonderful time and Mal sat back, staying sober as usual, and making sure all was well, even dancing few times with Inara and Kaylee.

About halfway through the party Mal told Wash to turn off the music. As the music died Mal stood at the front of the room and everyone settled down as he they realized he was going to give a speech.

"Got a few words to say," Mal began. "Just like to say thank you to all those folks that helped me and mine the last month or so. We came through the fire and now we are here. Not all of us and sorry to say some folks died. Let's hope you all can put the past behind you and move on. I was a soldier once, in a different time and place, and the military always made sure to reward its soldiers who performed above and beyond the call of duty. Well, I ain't got any real medals but Zoe found these sports medallions in a shop so they'll have to do."

He held up a bunch of golden discs on blue, red and green ribbons and everyone wondered what the hell he was up to. He walked to the front of his table and then stood ramrod straight.

"The following people front and center. Zoe, read the names."

"Yes, sir!" Zoe shouted in a commanding tone, almost making Wash spill his drink, as she stood with a piece of paper and read the names aloud. "William Jones, Doctor Gregori Kovalev, Jayne Cobb, Doctor Simon Tam, Kaywinnet Lee Frye."

The five people whose names were called just looked around and everyone was cheering and yelling, the booze fueling the party atmosphere. They came to the front where Mal was and stood in a line. Mal walked up to Will first.

"For extending the hand of friendship when so many needed it, for fearless leadership in battle, and for his unswerving devotion to the exploration of space, we give William Jones this award."

All the audience cheered, the Aussies louder than any others as Mal put the disk around his neck and shook Will's hand.

"Right full of surprises, ain't you?" Will said with a drunken grin, and then he took Mal in a big bear hug.

After Mal recovered his breath he turned to Gregori. "For scientific accomplishments beyond the scope of anyone's understanding except his own, we give Doctor Gregori Kovalev this award."

Everyone laughed at this, even Gregori as Mal put the disk around his neck and he shook Mal's hand.

"You aren't home yet, Captain."

"Hoping this award be incentive for you to be on your top game when the time comes," Mal replied to Gregori as he next turned to Jayne.

"You gotta be out of your gorramn mind," Jayne started in a drunken rant. "Don't want no medal for doing my job. Take more money, though."

Mal ignored him as he spoke to the crowd. "For fearless prowess in battle and for enduring two days without any meat and only critter food for sustenance, we give this award to Jayne Cobb."

And that brought an even bigger laugh as Mal put the medal on Jayne's neck and they shook hands.

"And don't forget that raise you promised me," Jayne said.

"What raise?"

"Mal…" Jayne started getting angry but Mal just ignored him and moved on to Simon and Mal's face grew a bit more serious.

"For unswerving devotion to his duties as Serenity's medical officer, for treatment of wounded in battle conditions, and for saving the life of one of my favorite people in the verse, we give Doctor Simon Tam this award."

This time no one laughed and everyone clapped, long and loud, especially Serenity's crew and those who Simon had treated. Kaylee was standing next to him and she beamed with pride.

Mal placed the medal around Simon's neck and they shook hands. "Thanks, Mal."

"No, Simon. No need for thanks. We owe you a lot more than this little thing."

Then Mal turned to one of his favorite people in the verse and Kaylee stood there all nervous, wondering what she was doing up here with the others.

"Capt'n, why…?" but he ignored her as spoke in a loud, clear voice.

"For unflinchingly putting her life in danger by remaining behind on the moon base to open the hanger bay doors so all of us could survive, knowing that any minute a nuclear explosion could end her life, we give Kaywinnet Lee Frye this award and our undying gratitude for her unselfish bravery."

And this time the whole room stood and clapped for a long time. As Kaylee turned bright red, Mal put the medal around her neck.

"Capt'n, I don't deserve any of this."

"Yes, you do. Weren't for you none of us might be here."

Then he gave her a big hug and then she looked at Simon and he hugged her also. As the room settled down, Zoe shouted out one more name.

"Captain Malcolm Reynolds."

Now it was Mal's turn to be surprised as Zoe came up to him with one of the medals.

"For leadership in a crisis situation and for bravery under fire we give Captain Malcolm Reynolds this award."

She put the medal around his neck and shook his hand as the room once more stood and clapped. Mal turned to them all and raised his arms for silence.

"Let's get drunk,' was all he said and everyone cheered as someone turned on the music again and the party began in earnest.

* * *

The party didn't end till very late and the next morning nobody stirred for many hours. Simon and Kaylee were the first up, Simon staying relatively sober in case anyone at the clinic needed him. Kaylee had had one too many drinks and had dragged Simon back to the ship before the party ended, making sure she started paying her debt by showing him all kinds of naughty and nice things in the love making department.

One by one the crew woke up and came in for breakfast, all except River. Simon went down to her room and she wasn't there.

"Anyone see my sister come in last night?" he asked with worry to the gathering at the dining table.

Everyone except Kaylee suddenly looked at their food or their coffee cups and Simon got a bad feeling. "What's going on?"

"I'll handle this," Inara said to the others after a long moment of silence. "She didn't come home."

"I know that," Simon said in exasperation. "Where is she?"

"With someone," Inara said and they all waited for big brother to explode. Kaylee caught on immediately but she could see Simon struggling with the notion.

"With someone? What do you mean with….? Oh….I…understand." He sat down and then turned to Inara.

"Who…with?"

Jayne was still a bit tipsy and decided to get one last shot in at the stuck up Doc before they left Earth. "Some fellow like you…doctor so and so. They was all over each other when you two left."

"Jayne," Mal said with a growl. "I still got notion to leave you behind sometimes."

"Trying to get out a that raise you promised me?"

"Raise? What raise?" Wash asked. "If he's getting a raise then…" And the table erupted in voices as Mal tried to explain the promise he made to Jayne and others asked for a raise also and Mal loudly said that one hundred percent was still only one hundred percent no matter how many ways you cut it. Simon just sat there, contemplating his sister as a woman. Kaylee put a hand on his arm.

"Don't mean nothing happened," she said with sympathy as they tried to make themselves heard over the argument.

"It's none of my business, really," he said slowly. "You know this guy?"

"Think so…Philips' his name." Then Simon remembered.

"I know him…nice guy."

"Yeah. We're leaving soon anyways…so…"

"Not my business," he said again and then River was in the room walking to her seat. Everyone went real quiet.

"Smells good," she said as she started eating some oatmeal and scrambled powdered eggs. "I'm starving."

Jayne had that look of the devil about him and Mal knew he was going to say something stupid so shot him a deadly glare. Jayne's words stopped just before they left his mouth and Mal was sure Simon might have hit him if he said anything crude. If the Doc hadn't he would have.

"Ok, were all here now. Today is the day." Mal said and that news sunk in and almost everyone was surprised.

"I thought Gregori wasn't ready with the calculations yet" Kaylee said.

"Told me last night he was," Mal replied. "So say your goodbyes today and were off at the about five in the afternoon. That'll give us time to reach the correct spot for the jump through the wormhole at the right time."

No one spoke for a long moment and Mal got the feeling something was wrong. "You do want to go home?"

Kaylee was the first to answer without any hesitation. "Yes."

Book nodded. "Of course. As River has been saying, we don't belong here."

"We don't," River said in a sad voice. "But I wish we did."

"I don't know, Mal," Jayne started. "We don't know where we'll end up. Maybe best to stay put."

"The calculations will be correct. We will get home," said River.

"It ain't the where we end up got me worried, Mal," said Wash. "It's the when."

"Been thinking about that," Mal said. "And might be nice to have something to give us an edge when we get back."

"What kind of edge, sir?" Zoe asked and got a feeling she knew what he was going to say.

"Awful lot of unguarded banks round here," Mal said with a touch of a mischievous grin on his face. "Shame to leave it all behind."

Jayne broke into a big grin. "That's kind a talk I like to hear."

Simon sighed. "Can't we just go one place without robbing it?"

Kaylee gave him a sly look. "Like Ariel, you mean?"

Everyone chuckled at that one. "Ok, Ok," said Simon as he raised his arms. "I'm a crook but a doctor first."

And then Simon remembered that he wasn't only a crook but also a fugitive. "The Alliance will be still looking for us."

"Money go a long way to keep you out of their hands," said Mal.

Book had a puzzled look. "Captain, I hate to be the bearer of an ill wind to this plan, but Earth money is useless in our quadrant."

"All kinds of other shiny things in banks, Shepherd," Jayne said, warming to doing some crime. "Gold, gems, jewelry, silver…all kinds of shiny stuff."

"So today were going to make a nice… withdrawal… from Melbourne's banks," said Mal as he drained his coffee cup. "Here's the plan."

* * *

The plan was simple and went off without a hitch for once, mainly cause no one was around to guard the banks and Mal and Jayne had Will's gang's help in opening up the vaults, with a little safecracking from one of the moon engineers who was in for ten percent. The safety deposit boxes held just what Jayne had said they would and by late afternoon they had made several trips in one of the trucks they had got running and loaded up Serenity's secret compartment with a lot of swag, including some gold and silver bars they found in one bank. Will told the engineer he was his best friend now and Mal could sense that a lot more banks would be empty soon.

Kaylee and Wash spent the day getting Serenity ready for take off. They helped Tanya and Gregori place a laptop computer with a large external hard drive on the bridge, hooking it up to Serenity's nav computer and setting it to time with the engine wormhole system.

"All the calculations are in the hard drive," said Tanya. "Once you activate the wormhole, everything will be automatic. Just let it take Serenity home."

"Got it," said Wash. There was a moment of silence then and Gregori sighed heavily.

"I wish…" he looked like he was going to choke up but then got control of himself. "I wish I was going with you."

Kaylee smiled. "You are. Your engine modifications, your calculations, they are all going with us. The Kovalev Drive, I call it and if we get home and things don't go back to normal, we just might use it to get back here."

Gregori grew serious. "Kaylee you must make me a promise, da?"

She got a bad feeling. "What kind of promise?"

"If you arrive on the other side and if things are not back to the way it was before the wormhole, if this equipment still exists on Serenity, then you must destroy it and never come back."

"Destroy it…but it's fantastic," said Wash in surprise. "We can't destroy it."

"If your Alliance is as bad as you say, you must destroy it!" the scientist said with vigor. "They cannot be allowed to learn this secret. Who knows what they will do with it?"

"But they could come here, help you," said Kaylee.

Tanya put a hand on Kaylee's shoulder. "Maybe. But maybe we are better off without Alliance interference. And what will they do with you when they take Serenity and learn all they can from you?"

Kaylee got cold all over. "Guess they won't need us…oh God"

"Exactly,' said Gregori. "Now you understand?"

"We'll destroy it," said Wash and Kaylee agreed.

Meanwhile Simon and River and Inara spent the day at the clinic saying goodbye to people. Simon held a small ceremony where he gave the two interns from the moon base people their certificates as full fledged doctors. They weren't trained completely, but he felt they were ready as he could make them under the circumstances. They promised to train more medical people and after a lot of hugs and a few tears, the three returned to Serenity with two Aussie guards as escorts.

River walked ahead of the others and soon Simon joined her.

"Nothing happened," she said suddenly. "We just kissed a lot."

"Ah, okay,' Simon stammered, now all embarrassed, knowing she had definitely read his mind. "Not…"

"Your business. I know, but you worry about me, and I like that. He's a nice man, but we both know I was leaving so…he was a real gentleman."

"That's good," Simon said and he could sense her sadness. "I'm sorry, River."

"We can't stay."

"No, we can't."

While everyone was off doing these tasks Book held one last funeral service for some people that were brought from one of the apartment complexes near the airport. After he said his words over the dead remains and the fire was lit, Book and his work crew from the moonbase, which included most of the Alliance soldiers that had survived, just stood with bowed heads. David Hopkins suddenly shouted.

"Shepherd, look!"

They all looked to the north and they could see a large crowd of people, men, women, children, young and old, heading up the concrete runway toward their funeral pyre.

Book walked out to meet them and one elderly man stepped from the crowd of about one hundred. "I am Pastor Mason. We hear there is a beginning of a return to civilization here."

"Yes," Book said. "Welcome Pastor and your people welcome. Come and let's find some shelter and food and water before night comes."

Book got the story from them as he and the soldiers feed them and brought them water. Pastor Mason had been leading a countryside church outing from Canberra when the war started. They stayed away from the cities, moving south and living off the land and what they could find in abandon farms and buildings. He had lost quite a few to radiation sickness and marauding bands, but others had joined them. A few days ago at a farm they heard of the spaceship from the moon and that there were engineers trying to get Melbourne back on its feet.

"You can't refuse these people shelter," said Book to Will and Mal after they returned from a bank and unloaded their ill gotten gains.

"Food's still a problem, Shepherd," said Will. "First harvest is many months away. It ain't like I want to but…"

"The Lord will find a way," said Pastor Mason. "My people will not be a burden. We have school teachers, engineers, artists, plumbers, carpenters, all kinds of good people with all kinds of skills. We will do our part. And there are more in the countryside."

Will thought for a moment. "Reckon we could do with bit more help. And it ain't like there's a housing shortage."

After that all relaxed and got to work making arraignments for the new people. Soon it was getting close to five o'clock and time had run out for everyone.

* * *

A large crowd had gathered at the airport to say goodbye to Serenity and its crew. Gregori Kovalev stood before them all and held a prepared speech on a piece of paper.

"My friends, the stars brought you home to Earth, and you saved us from our moon base exile. For that, we have no way to repay you except to send you back to your homes and loved ones. With do this with a heavy heart, not only because of the bonds we have grown in such a short time, but also because we value your skills and knowledge at a time when the Earth needs them. But we have created our misery and we shall bear the burden of cleaning it up no matter how many generations it takes. Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Zoe Washburne, Hoban Washburne, Inara Serra, Shepherd Book, Jayne Cobb, Kaylee Frye, Doctor Simon Tam, and River Tam, these names will be etched into our history books and a tenth name will also be there: Serenity, the ship that brought our salvation. Now it is time to say goodbye."

Gregori stepped forward and shook Mal's hand and then soon everyone was hugging and shaking hands and saying goodbye to those they had made friends with and for some a little bit more than friends. Jayne went off with Christine for a short walk and then they kissed one last time before she turned with tears in her eyes and ran off, leaving Jayne a bit stumped as to why. Dr. Philips said a very polite goodbye to River and then she just grabbed him and planted a big kiss on the stunned doctor.

"So you never forget," she said and then ran into the ship. Simon shook his hand.

"I'm sorry we're leaving."

"She's quite the…lady," Philips replied as he turned and also left, and Simon could sense the emotions the doctor was experiencing.

Will got a bit misty eyed as he shook Mal's hand.

"Right good bugger to have in a fight, you are Mal," Will said. "Gonna miss you, mate."

"Like to take you with us. Lots of crime to be done in our neck of the verse."

"Sounds tempting, but Dora's in the family way and plenty of work for every man here."

"Be a leader, Will," Mal said seriously. "They need that more than anything. Make a decision and stick with it but don't be too stubborn. Never back down from a fight but learn to run when you have to. Use that spaceship to scout about, find things you need, look for survivors. Above all, keep safe and keep your people safe."

"That's good advice. Ain't too many of us left."

"There'll be more," Mal said as he spotted the two pregnant Aussie women with Dora and Kaylee and Zoe and he just knew they were talking about babies.

Wash came up to Mal. "Now or never, Mal."

Mal sighed and felt like his shoulders would never be without one burden or a thousand. "Okay, fire her up."

Mal gathered his crew and last goodbyes were made and then they were on the boat. Kaylee had to wipe her eyes before going to the engine room. Simon found River crying in her bunk so just left her alone.

"Prepare for take off," came over the intercom and few minutes later the VTOLs roared into life and Serenity left Earth.

"Godspeed, Serenity," Gregori's voice came over the comms, broadcasting from the comms station they had set up with the gear from the underground military bunker.

"Good luck, Earth. Serenity, out," said Wash and then he moved the ship to the North pole and out and over the debris field before pointing the ship to the designated nav point where they had arrived about five weeks earlier.

"Fly's different," Wash said to Mal on the bridge. "Shuttle two is missing, makes it right side heavy in atmo."

"We'll get a new one when we get back," Mal said as he left the bridge.

* * *

It took three hours to reach the designated position and the crew used the time to secure everything on the boat. Much of this had been done already in anticipation of the wormhole trip but they went about rechecking and inspecting everything.

They finally reached the point where they had to go now or recalculate everything. The crew got strapped into the dining lounge chairs, River coming from her room at the last moment. Kaylee set the engines to full burn and made sure the Kovalev Drive was activating before racing to get strapped in.

On the bridge Mal, Wash, and Zoe sat in nervous anticipation. "I hate this part," said Wash and then the Kovalev Drive kicked in and Serenity shot away through the black, reaching just below the speed of light faster than the ship had ever traveled before. The old Firefly creaked and groaned and Kaylee silently told her lady to hold together and knew it would but needed to say that anyway. Even Jayne seemed to be praying as they all held hands where they sat in strapped in the dining room.

In front of the ship the milky white bluish cloud began to form and Zoe and Mal smiled at each other. "Old bastard knows his stuff, sir!" Zoe shouted above the noise of the rattling ship.

"We ain't home yet!" Mal shouted back. Wash looked over at the laptop hooked into his nav computer.

"The clock is running…green across the board!" he shouted and took his hands off the control column.

"Time to go home," River said and then Serenity was sucked into the wormhole.

The experience was exactly like it had been before and lasted just as long except this time they were ready and hardly anything fell or broke. The ship spun like a top and went through all kinds of gyrations, but all on board were safe and it was like a ride at an amusement park and would have even been fun if they didn't worry so much on what was to come.

In less than four minutes it was over and they were floating in the black of space once again, power now down to fifty percent as the automatic drive from the laptop set the engines.

"We made it," said Zoe with a sigh.

"Yeah, but where are we and when," Mal said.

"Do you remember?" Wash said suddenly and Mal and Zoe got a cold feeling.

"Everything," Mal said. "That ain't good. Cortex, Zoe."

Back in the dining room, after a moment of silence, Jayne undid his straps and started for the bridge. And soon everyone but Book and Kaylee followed him. The mechanic had only one place she needed to be and that was the engine room but she stopped and looked at Book.

"I remember…everything…we didn't go back in time, did we?"

"No, Kaylee. That's impossible," the Shepherd said and Kaylee didn't know what to say so turned and went to her station.

On the bridge Wash searched the nav computers, punching numbers and then his systems started to light up and he was getting signals from nav sats.

"We're home," he said slowly, in awe and Zoe laughed and then the bridge was full of people and all were excited that they were home.

"But when?" said Simon and Zoe got the Cortex up and running. After a few seconds she just stared at the screen.

"Oh my God," was all she could say.

"What year is it Zoe? What month?" Mal almost shouted at her. She turned with stunned eyes on all of them as the truth dawned on Zoe first of all.

"It's July 21, 2522," she said and a gasp came from them all.

"How in the hell is that possible?' Jayne said first as everyone was too stunned, even Book who had joined them in time to hear this last and suddenly felt like his notions of time travel may be wrong.

"Did we time travel…again?' asked Wash and everyone looked to Simon and River.

"I don't understand," Simon said like a student who gets a C when expecting an A. "Gregori's calculations…the supercomputer…we should be in 2518."

"It's the wormhole,' said River softly and then louder. "We didn't spend four minutes in the wormhole."

Mal suddenly understood and then they all did. "We spent two years in the wormhole," Mal said slowly. "Going and coming home."

As they stood in silence contemplating this, a voice crackled through the radio.

"Firefly class transport, this is the Alliance cruiser Independence. Please identify. We read no transponder, over."

As this new shocked hit them, Simon and River most of all, they looked out the cockpit windows and directly in front of them was the looming bulk of an Alliance cruiser, launching small fighters that were heading their way.

THE END

BUT -

TO BE CONTINUED – "The Return Home" the sequel to "The Return" will be coming as soon as it's done. Stay shiny!


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